


See No Evil, Speak No Evil

by shayrulz



Category: Ghost Hunt
Genre: F/M, Gen, Ghost Hunters, Ghosts, Horror, Law Enforcement, Police, Psychic Abilities, Supernatural Elements, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:42:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 62,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22345795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shayrulz/pseuds/shayrulz
Summary: Two years have passed and Mai is now a senior in high school. Over the years, she lost contact with the rest of SPR but she never truly left the psychic world. A chance meeting will reunite her with the team but Mai isn't the same as when they parted. A lot can change in two years.Cross-posted on fanfiction.net under same name
Comments: 15
Kudos: 60





	1. Is that?

**Hello readers! This is my first ghost hunt story so I really hope you all like it. The idea's been floating around my head for a while now but I finally got the inspiration to actually write it ( Woo Hoo!) It might be a little slow at first but not to worry! (if people like it) the story will start to pick up in the next chapter I promise ;P**

**I'm only going to be putting the disclaimer in the first chapter cuz I don't feel like copying and pasting it every chapter...**

**Disclaimer: No I (unfortunately) do not own Ghost Hunt or the lyrics for Phoenix by Fall Out Boy T.T only my original characters and ideas.**

**"this" =speaking**

**_'this'_ = thoughts**

**Edited: 01/23/2020**

****

**Chapter 1: Is that...?**  
___________________________________________________________________________________

To the regular night owls or late-night workers, the sound of sirens bouncing and echoing off the walls of the concrete city held no special meaning or interest. It was a regular occurrence for the heavily populated area of Tokyo so the wails and flashing lights of the Tokyo Police became something that blended into the background of the large city's nightlife.

"This is dispatch calling all available squad cars within Sector 3. We have a report of a possible homicide down off of Yuri Street at the old Atsuko Factory. The ones that found the body are currently onsite and have been instructed to wait in the parking lot until an officer arrives. Detective Noboru will meet responders at the scene."

If one were to really pay attention they may have noticed the sudden increase in law enforcement activity at that given moment but, for most, the sound just faded into the ever noisy and bustling streets at that so many called home.

___________________________________________________________________________________

The sun was high in the sky, warming the earth with its rays. Shining through the glass window of a local high school, these rays of heat fell upon a group of four girls seated at their desks, though they really couldn't be considered girls any longer. All were seniors that year and well on their way to adulthood. The golden streaks illuminated their faces as they laughed and gossiped just like any normal high schooler would.

Well, not entirely normal.

Two members of the group could even be considered largely abnormal to the rest of society. One of the girls had the traditional black hair of the Japanese that reached to about the middle of her back. It was tied off into two braids that hung behind her and she also sported a pair of square, brown-rimmed glasses that covered narrow black eyes.

During her freshman year, she had discovered that she had latent psychic abilities that were frequently affected by her moods. Since then, she had learned to control her emotions so that, even though she couldn't use them at will, her powers wouldn't go haywire and start poltergeisting all over the place like they did two years ago. The tension that used to surround her was gone and left in its wake was a shy but friendly female. Most of her improvement was in part due to the other young woman who shared a secret much like hers.

Instead of the normal dark browns or black of most Japanese this young woman's hair was a much lighter shade of brown that, when hit just right by the sun, also had a red tint to it. Over the years she had let it grow out and currently it reached just past her shoulders. Instead of narrow ones like her friend, the girl had doe-like eyes that were the color of caramel and held a warmth in them that drew others in.

It was also during her freshman year when her abilities began to surface. At first, it happened slowly, but as time crawled on her latent sensitivity just kept getting stronger. While their friendship was still only in its infancy at the time, the black-haired girl was the only one that she could confide since she could understand what she was going through.

Both girls acted as support for the other and together they formed a strong bond and friendship.

"Hey, Mai, Kuroda! Michiru and I were wondering if after school you guys wanted to go to this new cake shop that just opened up in Shibuya this week? It's supposed to be really yumm~y!"

Mai smiled as she watched Keiko practically jump out of her seat in excitement. Her friend had one heck of a sweet tooth that never seemed to be satisfied so she was always on the lookout for new bakeries and cake shops to try out.

"Sure I don't see why not. What about you Kuroda?" Mai cheerfully responded.

"It sounds like a lot of fun," Kuroda replied, a small smile gracing her lips.

Keiko whooped as she threw her fist into the air while her friends just laughed at the excited female sitting with them.

Awhile back, Mai took it upon herself to become friends with Kuroda and help break her out of her shell by inviting her to places with Keiko and Michiru. While it's true the other two weren't as enthusiastic at first, they eventually came around and began to genuinely like the girl, inviting her to places of their own accord.

The group had been inseparable ever since.

Minutes and hours ticked away until finally the bell rang signaling their release from the learning institute. All four quickly gathered their belongings and briskly exited the classroom, heading towards the lockers at the entrance, switching out their shoes, and leaving the building while laughing and joking the whole way.

"Come on guys it's this way!" Keiko eagerly shouted at the girls behind her.

The three followed their excited friend but the closer they got to their destination the more Mai began to recognize the route that they were taking.

_'Well, it's certainly been a while.'_

Arriving at the bakery the group sat at a table next to the front window of the store. Looking out across the congested street of Dogenzaka, Mai was able to see the building that once housed SPR as well as some of her fondest memories. Since the company's dissolution, Mai had come down to this area less and less. The first couple of weeks were full of extra-long walks home, hoping to catch a glimpse of that oh so familiar black van sitting out front or the window illuminated. Though, as the days grew longer, the less frequently she made her detours to the familiar street until one day she stopped coming altogether.

In the beginning, she had stayed in touch with all the SPR regulars but without her regular paycheck and having not found an employer that paid nearly as well as Naru had, Mai was forced to change quite a few things in her life. She had downsized to a smaller apartment in a less...savory part of the city but the rent was affordable and the landlady was nice enough -even if some of her neighbors were a bit questionable. For a certain amount of time, she had to get rid of her phone as well, not having the money to pay for it, and between both the move and the loss of her way of contacting her friends she had completely lost touch with all the former members.

'That was about a year and a half ago I think.'

Noticing their friend was distracted the three girls all shared a look before all shrugging their shoulders. Only Kuroda had an idea as to what was going through the petite brunette's head but wouldn't think of saying it out loud. SPR was a bit of a sore topic for Mai and the only reason she even knew about this was because of the breakdown that Mai had about a year ago.

It's something they agreed to never bring up again.

Deciding to drag her friend back to the world of the living, Kuroda reached over and gently nudged the brunette eliciting a quick, "Huh?" from her.

Michiru and Keiko just laughed at the lost look splayed across Mai's face. "Welcome back Ms. Space Cadet. Did you enjoy your journey through the universe?" joked Michiru.

Blushing from the embarrassment of being caught while her mind was off in la-la land, Mai quickly grabbed one of the menu's and flipped it in front of her face to hide the heat she could feel burning her cheeks. However, in doing so, she also wound up slapping herself in the face with her temporary shield causing a grunt of pain to slip between her lips.

"Pffftt!"

Looking up Mai could see Keiko holding both hands over her mouth attempting to hold in a laugh that was threatening to escape.

It didn't work.

Soon the whole table was loudly giggling at the scene that their friend had just presented to them making Mai's already red face glow an even deeper shade.

"And the ever graceful Mai strikes again!" laughed a highly amused Michiru.

"Shut up!" growled the embarrassed brunette.

Kuroda just laughed at the girl's misfortune, "Come on, Mai, you know you've done worse, like that one time in the park-"

"Kuroda!"

"Or when she was walking into the classroom-", commented Keiko.

"And that time when you bumped into that gangster-", cut in Michiru.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up! Gah! My friends are turning against me!" wailed Mai as she crossed her arms on the table and quickly hid her face in them.

They just laughed.

By the time their waitress came to take their orders, the girls were all laughed out and Mai was thoroughly embarrassed. After that their conversation turned towards more school-related things such as the new teacher that they had just got, the latest rumors, and relationships going on at the time.

"So Akira and I were walking through the park and-"

__

_Hey young blood  
Doesn't it feel like our time is running out?  
I'm gonna change you like a remix-_

"Ah, sorry Michiru! I need to answer this but I'll be right back." Mai apologized as her gloved hand reached for the ringing electronic while making her way out of the store's front door.

"Moshi moshi? Taniyama speaking."

_"Mai, it's me."_

"Oh, Kenshin! Hey, how are you?", she asked with a smile on her face.

A soft, deep laugh could be heard through the phone _"I'm doing just fine, Mai, thank you for asking, but I'm afraid that checking up on you isn't what I'm calling for today."_

Mai emitted a small sigh, leaning back against the store window and out of the way of the busy sidewalk. "I should've known...you never call me up just to say hey -which would be nice every once in a while ya know," she grumbled, a childish pout forming on her lips.

Mai heard a deep chuckle before Kenshin began speaking again. _"I'll make sure to remember that. Anyways are you free at the moment?"_

Tilting her head back against the window, Mai replied, "Depends on how important whatever you need is."

_"At the moment you're the only one that could really give us a hand."_

Another, more exaggerated, sigh left her mouth this time, "Fine...I'm free. You going to come pick me up?"

_"I'm leaving right now just tell me where you're at."_

Mai then proceeded to give Kenshin the address of the bakery.

_"Alright, I should be there within 5 minutes or so."_

"Cool, I'll see you then. Oh, and Kenshin?"

_"Hmm?"_

"You owe me a slice of strawberry cake."

_"Yes, ma'am."_ He offhandedly agreed before ending the call.

Pushing herself off the window, Mai strolled back into the shop and made her way towards the table that she was sitting at earlier. "Hey guys, something just came up so I'm going to have to bail out a little early today, sorry!" Mai sheepishly explained while scratching the back of her head.

"What, again? This is like the fifth time this month that it's happened," Michiru pouted.

"Hey, I bet it's that secret boyfriend of hers that she keeps refusing to tell us about." Keiko not-so-quietly whispered to Kuroda.

Mai quickly stuck her hands on her hips in irritation. "How many times do I have to tell you guys, there is no secret boyfriend! Kenshin and I are just friends!"

"Aha!" Keiko exclaimed, pointing a finger at her friend, "So it really _is_ a guy that you keep sneaking off to see!"

Noticing that she was only adding fuel to the fire, Mai gave up on trying to explain her relationship with Kenshin. Seeing the sleek black Nissan pull up to the front of the bakery Mai knew that it was time for her to go.

At this point, the three girls had already huddled together and begun formulating their own ideas as to why she was keeping her "relationship" with this Kenshin a secret.

"Maybe he's some gangster and being seen with him could put her in danger with a rival gang!" Keiko hypothesized.

"What if he's some rich young master that doesn't want to hang around us common folks?" added Michiru.

"Hey, you don't think that he's married and they're having some sort of affair...do you?" Kuroda warily asked.

.

.

.

**"That's it!"** all three agreed at once.

"Hey, guys my ride's here so I'll catch you later at school, ok? Bye!" Mai waved as she walked towards the exit.

"Mai, we don't care if he's married or not, just remember to use protection!" Keiko shouted over the voices inside the tiny shop.

...

Silence

...

Her friends had no shame.

It was the fastest exit that Mai had ever made in her life.

Rushing up to the vehicle Mai promptly swung the door open, slammed it shut, clicked her seat-belt in place, then shouted at Kenshin to drive. Shocked and confused by the extremely flustered young woman next to him, he did as she instructed.

"Um, is everything alright Mai?" he asked, sounding as though he were speaking to a rabid animal.

Looking over at the man next to her, she silently took in his appearance. Jet black hair about three inches long that parted on the left side of his head, a tall lean body with just enough muscle, slightly tanned skin from being out in the sun, and a pair of piercing gray eyes with a hint of blue in them.

Then she remembered what Keiko said.

Cue blush.

"It's n-nothing! Nothing at all! Ha, ha, ha..." Mai replied nervously.

"Okay...", he gave her a strange look, "Anyway, there's a homicide victim that was found recently that we'd like you to look at," Kenshin stated, breaking the awkward silence.

Coming back to her senses, Mai cleared her head of...unwanted thoughts and relaxed back into her seat, "I'm guessing it's old since you guys are calling me in."

"Seems to be. It's pretty nasty looking too." He stated with a straight face.

"Well, guess I'll be the judge of that", she replied, resting her elbow on the window and placing her chin on a leather-gloved hand.

___________________________________________________________________________________

"We have been stuck in this room for half a day. If I have to listen to one more of the monk's ridiculous jokes I am going to strangle him!"

"Now just calm down, Ayako. I'm sure that as soon as Naru and Lin come back we'll be able to get out of here." the blonde priest reasoned.

"Hey, Yasu, listen to this one! Ok, so what do redheads look forward to in life? Grey hair! Get it?" the monk laughed.

With the light glinting off his glasses and a smile on his face, Yasu pointed to something behind the monk, "Uh, Takigawa...you might want to start running now."

"Huh?" asked the confused monk before he heard an ominous voice coming from behind him.

"Monk...did you just call me _OLD?!_ " shrieked the redheaded priestess.

THUMP!

"Ow woman! What do you keep in that purse, bricks?!"

"Well maybe if I _hit_ you enough times it'll knock some manners into that wrinkled, old thing you call a brain!"

"Hey! I'm not the one that has to hide all their wrinkles under pounds of makeup!"

_"WHAT?!"_

"There's no purpose in fighting guys, why don't we all just relax?" John attempted at reasoning with the arguing duo.

No such luck.

"Masako any help here?" John asked, turning towards the seated medium that was near the back corner of the deteriorated cement room. All he got in response was a flicker of her grey eyes in his direction before they re-positioned themselves towards the area that they were facing earlier. Ignoring the chaos unfolding around her.

Seeing that John was going to worry himself to death, Yasu decided to go up to the young Australian and help ease his mind. He placed his right hand on the blonds's shoulder in a comforting gesture. "Come now my friend, it's not _that_ bad. They haven't even broken anything. I'm pretty sure it won't get much worse than-"

_CRASH!_

"Did you just throw a _vase_ at me woman?!" cried Takigawa from his position on the floor against the wall as he stared wide-eyed at the redhead in front of him who had just attempted to smash his head with a heavy piece of porcelain.

Tightening his grip on John's shoulder after seeing the priest go a little pale, Yasu turned John so that he was facing him and not the violent pair. He gave the best advice that he could think of at the moment and, with a smile that would make a con artist proud, he only told John one word, "Pray."

No sooner did the advice leave his mouth when their prison doors -the nickname that the Monk had _affectionately_ given their room's wooden double doors- opened wide and in walked the two missing men from the rowdy group of investigators. Unfortunately, their timing was not the best and right as they walked through the threshold an old screwdriver came flying towards their young boss's face.

Fortunately, it missed by a few inches.

Unfortunately...

He was _not_ amused.

The room grew deathly quiet.

"Are you all so simple-minded that you can't even handle the task of sitting still?" Growled the annoyed young man.

Everyone present swore that the temperature dropped a few degrees at that moment.

Masako decided to ignore the growing tension within the confined space. "Oh, Naru, thank goodness you're back. I tried to stop them but they just wouldn't listen." She bat her eyes at him and pretended to be as innocent as she sounded while walking up to the newly arrived duo.

_**'Liar,'**_ was the collective thought shared throughout the room.

"Ms. Matsuzaki, Monk." stated the ever stoic Naru.

"H-hai?"

"Yeah?"

"Any damage done to the premises is coming out of your paychecks."

"What?!" they both exclaimed.

"This place is abandoned! No one even cares about the things lying around in here!" Takigawa vehemently protested while rising to his feet.

"For once I agree with the monk," Ayako stated as she too rose from the ground, having dodged the screwdriver that had been flung at her.

"Well then, we're just going to have to find something else for you to do," Naru replied, glaring at them with a small smirk gracing his near-perfect features.

Both adults swallowed audibly at the idea of Naru coming up with a punishment for them. Ever since returning from his stay in England, their boss hadn't really changed much personality-wise. Recently though, they'd been privy to the slightly more...sadistic side that the young business owner had. If they didn't think he was the devil incarnate before they sure did now.

Ignoring the complaining adults -if they could really be called that- in front of him, Naru addressed the rest of the room's occupants. "The police are done with looking through our tapes so we can return to base now."

That got everyone's attention and made them much happier at the prospect of getting out of the desolate room. Late last night they had discovered human remains on the premises and, while they would have notified the police after they inspected the room, their client had made a surprise visit that evening and immediately called the cops after seeing the body. Once Tokyo PD arrived they'd been confined to one of the warehouse's many rooms as the cops went through all the footage that they had gathered so far and swept the building for any evidence they could find.

Them being the ones in charge, Naru and Lin were called out periodically to help operate the equipment and explain some of the things that were picked up on their video and audio. Seeing that he now had everyone's undivided attention, Naru turned and made his way through the open doors, a signal for the rest of the group to follow, before speaking once more. "The detective assigned to this case is going to ask each of us a few questions once we arrive. Do not mention the fact that we were going to wait to report the body, understood?"

Hearing the collective "Yes" from behind him, Naru continued to make his way down the dimly lit grey hallway back to where all his equipment was being kept.

Behind him, another conversation had already started up. Walking with his hands in his pockets, Takigawa decided to voice something that had been bothering him all day. "Anyone else notice how quiet everything has been since the cops showed up?" the monk asked with a pensive look on his face.

"Now that you mention it," began John, "the ghost has been unusually dormant. It was pretty active when we first got here."

Folding her arms across her chest Ayako continued following the group to the base. "That's true. I haven't even sensed anything for a while now."

"That's because it's been gathering strength all morning." Naru blandly stated. All eyes turned to him.

"What do you mean, Naru?" a curious Yasu asked, looking at his boss with puzzled eyes.

"For the last couple hours the police's equipment has been failing, their batteries drained. You all didn't honestly think that it normally took half a day for them to interrogate witnesses did you?" answered the teen while walking further ahead of everyone, somehow making his monotone voice condescending.

Slowly raising a fist into the air, Ayako managed a quick utter of "Little brat" before she was physically restrained from behind by Takigawa with John and Yasu in front attempting to cool the priestess's ire.

Naru, Lin, and Masako just continued walking.

Five minutes -and one piercing glare at the back of Naru's head- later, the team arrived at the hallway containing their base.

Along their way down the dreary hall the group passed by the room containing the corpse as well as a few cops that were hustling about inside, all hard at work on their assigned tasks.

After reaching the base doors they all filed in one at a time. Yasu was the last to reach the entrance but right when he was about to enter a voice that sounded vaguely familiar caught his attention.

"Geez Kenshin, I swear every time you bring me somewhere it just gets more and more run down. Can't you find a body at, oh I don't know, a fancy mansion or something for once?" he heard the voice complain.

A man's chuckle came after the female finished speaking. "Sure, sure, next time I'll remember to tell the killer to make sure he commits his crime at some rich person's house, just for you." said the man, sarcasm heavily lacing his deep voice.

"Jerk."

Hearing the insult along with the voice caused Yasu to quickly flick his head back down the hall in the direction that they had come from, hoping to catch a glimpse of the one that the voice belonged to. By the time he turned though, all he could see was a rather tall, dark-haired man walking next to a young woman and only the back of her body since she was turned to face her companion, standing before the room that the police were currently busy investigating. As the sight of the woman's light brown and red-tinted hair met his eyes he could only recall one person that he'd ever known to have that particular shade of brunette. What really cemented his suspicions though was when she turned around to face the entrance of the room.

_'Is that...Mai?'_

___________________________________________________________________________________

**DONE!**

**Soooo...what do ya think? Like? Don't like? Suggestions? Let me know!**

**Adios for now!**

**shayrulz**


	2. The Reunion

**  
"this" = talking**

**'this' = thoughts**

**Edited: 01/23/2020**

****

**Chapter 2: The reunion**

___________________________________________________________________________________

Pulling up to their destination Mai finally got her first look at where she would, more than likely, be spending the next couple days of her life. _'Look on the bright side, no more classes for at least two days!'_ she thought to herself.

Setting her eyes on the building in front of her, Mai had to wonder if it was even safe for them to be going into the rundown structure. It wasn't a very large factory when compared to some that existed but was still pretty big. It was three stories of brick and cement shaped like one giant rectangle. The places where windows had been broken and walls had crumbled away gave onlookers a glimpse into the inky depths of the deserted building. What may have once been vibrant red, green, and blue paint was now faded to dull, lifeless colors that just added to the eerie vibe that the old structure gave off even during the day time.

Passing through the metal gate of the fence that surrounded the property, Mai could see a large number of signs warning trespassers to stay off the premises. Many had some type of graffiti sprayed all over them but the sheer number of signs is what really caught Mai's attention. "Someone really wants to keep people out of here huh?" she commented as they drove closer to the factory entrance.

Kenshin nodded his head at the statement. "It's a popular place for kids that want to do courage tests and the amateur ghost hunter every now and then. We get calls all the time to come here because of disturbances."

"Ah, the glorious life of a cop." Mai teased the man next to her.

Amused, Kenshin played along with her joke. "Yes, babysitting snot-nosed brats is the entire reason for my joining the force." he finished with an exaggerated look of pride upon his face.

Bringing the car to a stop its two occupants took a few seconds to look at each other in the face before both started laughing. Walking up to the building the duo were soon spotted by one of the uniforms standing outside.

"Detective Noboru!"

Turning to greet the man, Kenshin quickly got updated on any progress and complications that had happened in his absence before motioning Mai to follow him into the deserted factory. As they passed by both large and small rooms Mai noticed that there were strange dark marks covering almost every surface.

_'Almost as if they were scars.'_

Old deteriorated equipment, chairs, and desks were scattered throughout the structure, flipped on their sides and falling apart. Most of the walls were tagged in graffiti or vandalized in some other way. It would take the two of them about five minutes before they reached the hallway that contained the room with the body. To pass the time, they made small talk as they walked towards their destination. As they drew closer, Mai could hear quite a few voices coming from the end of the hallway and noticed a few people walking into one of the rooms. Shrugging it off as just another group of officers or detectives she directed her attention back to her companion.

"Geez Kenshin, I swear, every time you bring me somewhere it just gets more and more run down. Can't you find a body at, oh I don't know, a fancy mansion or something for once?" she asked in an exasperated voice.

Kenshin just shook his head and chuckled at the female next to him as he listened to her complain. "Sure, sure, next time I'll remember to tell the killer to commit his crime at some multi-million dollar home just for you." he looked at her, sarcasm heavily lacing his deep voice.

Mai just glared half-heartedly, "Jerk.", and said nothing more seeing that they had finally reached their destination.

Entering the room without any hesitation in her steps, Mai quickly located the corpse surrounded by forensic personnel and slowly walked over to them with Kenshin trailing behind.

"Ah, miss? I'm sorry but you can't be here this is a crime scene so we're going to need you to go back to the room where the rest of your group is being held." a young-looking forensic assistant that she didn't recognize told her.

_'Group? What group?'_ Mai thought, puzzled.

Before she could voice her question, and tell the newbie who she was, Kenshin decided to intervene. "It's fine Katsu, she's with me."

The young man straightened up immediately. "Ah! D-detective Noboru S-sir! My apologizes I didn't know she was with you." nervousness was practically dripping from the young man as he bowed deeply to his superior. Kenshin just waved off his concern before they continued on their way to the leader of the forensic team.

Picking out a face that Mai had come to know very well over the last year or so a large grin spread across her features as she slipped into the protective covering required for those on scene. "Dr. Nowaki!" she shouted while waving enthusiastically at the figure that turned at the sound of his name.

The man looked to be in his mid to late fifties with white speckled throughout his short, black, buzz-cut hair. He stood to about 5'9" with a husky looking body wearing the standard white plastic suit that was required in order to not contaminate the evidence at the site. His face had sharp, angular features that had softened as he got older and small wrinkles around his eyes and mouth indicating that he was a rather cheerful person. Despite his eyes being a deep, almost black color, there was something inviting within them that made a person feel welcomed and safe.

Spreading his arms out in invitation, Mai jumped into his arms and they shared a friendly hug, both smiling the whole time. The rest of the team stopped what they were doing and looked at the scene that their boss was creating with the much smaller female before shaking their heads at the familiar sight.

"Geez, you'd think they hadn't seen each other in months instead of a week or so with the way they act." Kenshin offhandedly muttered with an amused expression.

Finally pulling away from the much older man, Mai decided that it was time she got to work. "So what am I going to be looking at today Doc?"

Letting the young woman go, Nowaki motioned Mai over to where the body lied. From what Mai could see of the crime scene, it looked as though the body was hidden within the ceiling and came crashing down when the roof could no longer support the weight. A metal rod, much like those used during construction, was protruding from the corpse -if you could even call it that. Over the past year and a half Mai had seen her fair share of strange crime scenes but this one definitely in the top ten. The body was a disturbing mix of skin and bone. It was shriveled up like a grape that had been left in the sun for too long and some places were bare of anything allowing the white of the bones to peek out. The worst part of it though was the expression that was frozen onto the victim's face.

Terror.

"The victim's male, roughly between sixteen and twenty I'd say." came the gravelly tones of Nowaki's voice. "Cause of death looks to be from the metal pole sticking out of him. It's rather decomposed and seems to have been in the building for quite some time, although..."

"Although...?" Mai questioned after hearing the head medical examiner hesitate.

"Well," Nowaki began, "it seems that at some point the lad had his knee replaced and we were able to get a serial number off of the implant."

"But?" asked Mai.

"But, when we checked to see who the implant belonged too it came up for one Tachibana Shinrei. The surgery was performed one month ago." The forensic specialist stated with slight confusion lacing his words.

Surprised, Mai shot Kenshin a quick glance. "That doesn't make any sense," she spoke before turning back to the doctor, "you said that the body seemed to have been here for quite some time."

He nodded his head. "At least a couple of years for the deterioration that has occurred."

Kenshin could clearly see the confusion etching itself onto Mai's face. "This is why we called you in. After all, you do specialize in the strange and confusing."

Not giving a verbal response Mai just nodded her head and made her way up to the decomposed body and knelt down next to it. Reaching for a leather-covered hand, Mai pulled off the sturdy glove revealing smooth pale skin that hadn't seen the sun for quite some time before hovering that hand over the head of the corpse. "If I faint you had better catch me Kenshin." then she lowered her hand.

___________________________________________________________________________________

The group of paranormal investigators sat around their base, all -for the most part- bored out of their minds.

Breaking the silence that had fallen upon them -much to Naru and Lin's annoyance-, Monk suddenly shot back in his seat and grabbed his head in frustration. "I can't stand all this sitting around anymore! They even unplugged the camera and microphone that we placed in the room so now we have no idea what's even going on..." he finished sounding as drained as most of the group felt.

"Ma~ybe they're part of some cult that wants to use the remains to summon their master. From. _Hell._ " Yasu stated from behind Takigawa's head in a creepy voice, shining a flashlight that he found under his face.

"Gah!" the monk then proceeded to flail about and fall off the couch in an attempt to get away from the creepy boy. "Shounen! Don't do that to an old man's heart!" he pleaded from his position on the floor.

A little ways away Ayako mumbled under her breath "So he finally admits his age huh?"

Turning his head in her direction the monk shot her a withering glare. "What was that?"

Unfortunately during this distraction, he didn't notice Yasu coming up around the couch till he was kneeling right next to him and grabbing both of his hands in his own. "You know I could never hurt you Monk, my love for you would never let me." fake tears were shining behind his rimmed glasses.

Takigawa froze in his spot and paled to an unhealthy shade of white as he tried to retract his hands from the manipulative boy. Ayako laughed at the man's discomfort, John ran over to pry the now smiling Yasu away from Monk, Masako looked upon the scene with her sleeve covering her mouth and her eyes shining with amusement, and Lin and Naru ignored the happenings behind them for watching the monitors.

A creak from the door drew all their attention.

One of the officers that they had met earlier that day stuck his head into the room, informing them about the detective's arrival, and motioning them to follow him. Rising from their various seats the group left the base and followed the young officer back towards the room containing the corpse. Many of the members thought it odd that the cop in charge wanted to question them in the same area as the body but let it slide, thinking it some interrogation technique, and followed their escort into the room. Right as they entered all their eyes zeroed in on the small crowd gathered around the remains. Their guide called out to one of the men and as said man turned and began coming over towards them, speaking to a much older gentleman first, they all caught a glimpse of a young female -high schooler judging by her uniform- kneeling very still before the remains. Many thoughts as to why the girl was even here ran through the minds of the group of ghost hunters before focusing back on the detective, but Yasu instantly zeroed in on her, wanting to either confirm or deny his suspicions.

Reaching the group, Kenshin introduced himself. "Hello I'm Detective Noboru Kenshin, the lead investigator on this case," he said with a small bow of his head.

Stepping forward Naru answered in turn, "Shibuya Kazuya, I'm the owner of Shibuya Psychic Research." a small nod was given in greeting, "I heard you have a few questions for my associates and me." he stated in a bland voice once he saw that the detective's eyes had narrowed slightly after his introduction. He just wrote it off as a reaction to someone his age running a company. A reaction he had become all too familiar with over the years.

Kenshin promptly eased the stiffness in his limbs from hearing the familiar name and directed the small group of investigators off into a far corner of the medium-sized room. _'Damn, out of all the companies it just had to be them.'_

Gesturing them to sit in the available chairs, the seven of them sat in a semicircle with Kenshin situated in front of them. "For starters, why don't you all tell me why you're here."

The SPR regulars could practically feel the irritation at what Naru would consider an "insignificant inquiry".

Showing no outer emotion, their stoic boss began answering the routine questions. "My company was requested by the property owner to investigate the factory due to claims of it being haunted."

"And what exactly is it that you all do?"

"We hunt ghosts and exorcise spirits found at the locations we investigate."

"How was it that you came across the body?"

"One of my employees was doing a walkthrough in the room when part of the roof suddenly collapsed, the remains coming down with it."

"Did you see any suspicious people entering or leaving the premises during the time you've been here?"

"No. Only my associates, myself and the landowner have been here."

"And how long exactly have you been here?"

"Three days. We arrived Sunday morning."

Pausing his questions, Kenshin's eyes roamed the group before him, looking for any signs that their boss was lying. The oldest looking of the group seemed to be just as poker-faced as his employer, and the kimono wearing girl had half her face hidden behind her sleeve making it hard to read her expressions. The next two, a red-headed woman and a man with light brown hair didn't even seem to be paying attention at all due to the fact that they were glaring rather heatedly at each other. Next was a blonde foreigner that seemed to be the personification of nervousness. His blue eyes kept warily glancing between the staring duo as if they would pounce at any second. It was the last one though that caught his attention. Kenshin could see that even though he had a calm smile adorning his lips, the young man kept stealing glances at the area where Mai and the forensic team were located when he thought that he wasn't looking.

Getting ready to voice his suspicions, a shout from across the room drew his attention. "Kenshin!"

Whipping his head in the direction it came from, his eyes fell upon the twitching form of Mai being supported in Nowaki's arms.

_"Mai!"_

Hearing the familiar name leaving the detective's lips all the SPR employees snapped their heads towards the man that shouted the name of the sunny girl they used to know and watched as he ran to where the girl that was kneeling over the body earlier was now being cradled by the older man that Kenshin had briefly spoken to before greeting them. What surprised even Naru was that Yasu was hot on the detective's heels. Deciding to see what was happening, Naru rose from his seat and made his way over to the gathering crowd of police officers, the rest of the regulars right behind him. The sight that met him was not one that he was expecting and, unconsciously, made his deep blue eyes widen marginally in a lapse of his iron composure.

_'...Mai?'_

The features were nearly identical to that of the girl that had worked for him two years ago before he closed shop and left to bury his brother's body. Worry instantly worked its way into his mind when he saw that she was no longer just twitching but now having a fit, her eyes open but unseeing. The others also got over their shock of seeing their long lost friend when her actions became more violent. Ayako was the first to move towards the young woman, helping Nowaki to reposition her so she wouldn't harm herself.

"What happened?" Kenshin demanded.

Nokawki just shook his head and continued to hold the young woman down. "I don't know! Everything was fine then, for no apparent reason, she started twitching uncontrollably and wouldn't respond to anything I did!" The worry in the doctor's voice was easily heard by all gathered.

The events that came next happened without warning. All at once, the room's fragile and cracked windows suddenly burst inward, showering the people inside with the sharp fragments, causing many to scream. Then, knocking noises as well as the room shaking as though it were experiencing a minor earthquake further disoriented those within the confined space. During this time Mai began screaming and her struggles became even more frantic forcing Naru, Takigawa, and Kenshin to help hold her down.

"It's the ghost, it's right above her!" Masako shouted over the chaos surrounding them while staring wide-eyed at the space above Mai's writhing form.

Naru shot Lin a stern glance and, catching the hint, Lin whistled for his shiki which then materialized and attacked the entity causing the mayhem within the room. A disembodied scream was heard by all occupants as the shiki continued assailing the ghost until the shaking and knocking noises finally ceased along with the struggles and screams of the female being restrained on the ground. A calm silence fell over the room's inhabitants.

"Mai...Mai, _Mai!_ Hey, snap out of it!" Kenshin was shaking the high schooler's right shoulder in an attempt to break her out of whatever kind of daze she had been put in.

___________________________________________________________________________________

The horrible incidents that Mai had just been reenacting began to fade and a familiar black space soon met her panic-stricken caramel-colored eyes. Watching the spirits lazily floating around the astral plane helped to somewhat calm her fried nerves and gain control of her jumbled thoughts and senses. Gene had long since left her psychic visions, having said his farewells to her the night Naru departed for England, so Mai was forced to learn to navigate the endless space and her dreams all on her own. It was during times like this though that she truly missed having his comforting presence around after reliving the past of a location and its inhabitants.

"...ai...Mai...snap...of it!"

The tranquil silence was then interrupted by the sound of a familiar, but muffled, voice calling out to her. The black of the astral plane disappeared and Mai could once again feel herself connecting to her physical body. Exhaustion came over her like a tidal wave and through unfocused eyes, she saw the fuzzy outline of Kenshin and Nowaki's worried faces hovering over her. At the corners of her blurry vision, she also noticed another group of people huddled around her. Lethargically, she slid her gaze to meet that of the nearest person of this second group and, though it may not have shown on her face, a spark of recognition went through her brain as a deep, ocean colored gaze met her own light brown one.

_'Naru?'_

Then her world went dark.

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Once Mai had fallen into unconsciousness, it was decided that they would bring her to the base room to rest, much like the group of ghost hunters had done in the past. As a force of habit, Naru began to reach for the young woman so he could bring her to the room but Kenshin beat him to the punch. Luckily -in his opinion anyway- he hadn't bent down enough yet for it to be noticeable so he was able to fix his posture without anyone the wiser.

Setting Mai upon the couch, Kenshin spent an hour inside the tense base with the rest of SPR before the girl finally began to stir. Hearing a groan coming from the vicinity of the sofa, Kenshin swiftly made his way to the girl's side. Seeing her eyelids begin to flutter with consciousness, a sigh of relief left the detective's lungs.

Upon waking, Mai felt as though she were experiencing the world through a filter of water. Nothing was focused and any sounds she heard were muffled. Blinking a few times and focusing on clearing her muddled mind the world became clear and, once again, Mai found the face of Kenshin smiling down at her, this time with relief.

Observing that the female next to him was finally tuned back into reality, the detective placed a comforting hand over her short brown locks. "Hey, how you feeling?"

Struggling at first, Mai answered in a scratchy voice. "Okay as I'll ever be, though I could really use some water right about now."

Handing Mai the bottle that was sitting on the table next to them, Kenshin watched as she slowly sat up and gulped down the much-needed refreshment. Placing the plastic bottle back down, Mai's hand was suddenly engulfed by another's in a firm grasp.

"I'm glad you're okay Mai," Kenshin mumbled next to her. Her surprise soon morphed into understanding as she reciprocated his actions.

"Are we...interrupting something?"

Having forgotten about the other occupants of the room in favor of tending to the now awake girl, the young detective separated himself and Mai, a light blush of embarrassment staining Mai's cheeks. This gave her a full view of the rest of the room's inhabitants.

"Yasu?"

Seeing the familiar bespectacled boy shocked the young woman, to say the least. It had been close to two years since she'd had any contact with her former coworkers and Mai never really thought she'd run into one of them like this.

"Mai/Jou-chan!"

Seeing the two adults hastily walking over to the young woman seated next to him, Kenshin quickly made himself sparse in order to give the trio some space. Mai then found herself lifted off the sofa and into the crushing arms of a much taller male. "Monk...c-can't...breath!"

A resounding smack echoed off the walls of the cement room as well as a shout of pain before Mai was unceremoniously dropped back onto the couch. "Don't kill her when we just got her back you idiot!" Ayako reprimanded the monk that was now cradling his head.

"Need a hand Mai?" came a gentle voice. 

Looking up, the familiar visage of the blonde priest met her eyes, holding out a hand to help her up, "John!", and before she knew it she had pulled the Australian into a friendly hug. Releasing the man, she took a few steps back and was met with the sight of the kimono wearing medium staring back at her. "Masako!"

A slight nod and a small smile were directed towards her, "It's good to see you again Mai."

Smiling in bewilderment at her long lost friends, a thought occurred to Mai _'If everyone else is here then that must mean...'_

Looking around the small space, two black-clad outlines drew her attention. Mai's eyes first met Lin's and, in a rare show of emotion, a quick upturn of his lips and a small nod of acknowledgment were all she received before his well-constructed mask once again covered his features. Finally, her gaze locked with the last of the group. Mai had long since stopped crying over Naru's rejection. Instead of sadness, the memory only brought forth feelings of anger at how he handled the whole situation.

_'Loved his brother my ass. Who is he to decide how I feel huh?'_ Mai could feel the anger starting to take hold of her and immediately shoved the emotion to the back of her mind. No sense in causing a scene. So with every ounce of self-control she contained, Mai put on the friendliest smile she could muster and addressed the man before her. "Hey Naru, been a while huh?"

Said narcissist narrowed his piercing eyes at the phony smile adorning Mai's face. "Good to see you're still getting into trouble as usual Mai."

Twitch. "Yes well, at least the people I know now try to help me instead of ignoring everything outside of their personal bubble."

A single raised brow was his only visible reaction. "As I recall, I was the one always assisting you out of whatever predicament you got yourself into at the time."

An irritated tic began to form in the young woman's hands. _'Do not punch Naru in the face. **Do not** punch Naru in the face.'_ "Wasn't it also because of you that I got into most of those situations?"

A glare was now being directed at the female before him. "Your running off into dangerous locations by yourself is only a direct product of you not thinking things through."

Mai was now matching his glare. "Well, the lies and middle of the night walks to change batteries and tapes alone say otherwise."

The rest of the room looked upon the scene with apprehension. "Am I missing something?" John whispered to the gathered group of people.

"You're not the only one," Monk answered back just as quietly.

Kenshin just stood off in a corner watching the events unfold before him. He knew that Mai wouldn't be thrilled once she learned that her old employer was here and he approved of her reaction to him. It took some time, but eventually, she had opened up to him about her time at SPR and everything that happened from beginning to end. _'For being a supposed genius, the boy sure is dense.'_

Deciding to distract the girl from her rage and break the tension building within the base, Yasu cut into their conversation -if it could even be called that, "So what happened all those years ago Mai? One day we're all eating at a local cafe and the next you just up and vanish."

Noticing that she now had everyone's undivided attention, Mai shot one last look in her former boss's direction before turning towards the rest of the gang with a much more civil expression. "Well a few things came up, plus I had to move to a different apartment complex and it was hard keeping in touch during it all."

Monk had a slightly confused expression adorning his face, "Yeah but you still should have been able to call right? Whenever we tried to reach you after that it always said your number wasn't in service anymore."

Mai felt her heart rate pick up ever so slightly at where the line of inquiry was headed. Her hands twitched in an aborted motion as she let the lie slide off her lips like water, "Well you see, during the move I _might_ have accidentally packed my phone into a box I sent to a donation center. It had everyone's contact information so there was no real way to reach any of you." she finished in a sheepish smile. While she didn't enjoy lying, Mai felt no need to inform the gang about that particular period of her life.

Unlike the rest of the SPR crew, Naru recognized the gesture from when Mai used to try to make up stories for why she was late to work. Seeing that no one else caught on, Naru filed the information away to dwell upon some other time and refocused on the conversation currently taking place.

Once everyone had confiscated her new phone in order to add their numbers Monk decided to ask the young woman something that had been nagging at the back of his mind since he first saw her. "Not that we're not happy to see you again Mai, cause trust me we are...even if _some_ of us won't show it," a pointed look was shot in Naru's direction, "but what exactly are you doing here?" interest was clearly seen upon his face as well as the rest of the SPR regular's.

Mai and Kenshin exchanged glances, which didn't go unnoticed by the room's occupants before the young woman spoke up. "Well, I'm a consultant."

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**  
And voila! Chapter 2 is now complete :D**

**I hope I kept everyone in character (Naru was a pain in the butt!) and that all their interactions work together nicely but mostly I just want to know what you all think about the development so far (and how do you all feel Kenshin so far?). Any good?**

**Remember reviews are what keep the chapters coming so don't forget to leave a comment! You can ask me anything you want and I'll answer the best that I can (though I can't tell you all everything, don't wanna spoil the surprises ;P) Constructive criticism is always welcome.**

**Ta-ta for now!**

**shayrulz  
**


	3. The Dream

**  
Edited: 01/23/2020**

****

**Chapter 3: The Dream**

___________________________________________________________________________________

"Um, mind repeating that again?"

Mai smiled brightly at her former coworkers, "I'm a consultant with the Tokyo Police Department."

Dumbfounded and surprised looks were what greeted the young psychic.

**"HUUUH?"**

A nervous grin inched its way up Takigawa's face as surprise turned to confusion. "Jou-chan, don't you mean volunteer? Or maybe even helpful citizen?"

Her earlier happiness quickly drained, Mai let out a depressed sigh once she saw almost all of the SPR crew nod at Takigawa's inquiry. "Come on guys do you really think I'm that unreliable that I wouldn't be able to help them?"

"Well, I wouldn't say unreliable..." began the monk as he nervously gazed at the depressed female in front of him.

"More unpredictable really." Ayako finished for him with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I didn't even think that the police considered the opinions of spiritualists here," John added in a confused and nervous voice.

Yasu sneakily popped up in front of the young woman, "It's okay Boss I believe you! And I bet the Big Boss does as well, right?" He stated with a large grin and his eyes gleaming with mischief.

Looking seemingly uninterested in the current line of questioning, Naru lifted his blue gaze from his ever-present black binder, "Isn't it obvious?", before returning his attention to the binder's contents.

Seeing that Naru wasn't about to explain his reasoning, and the confused looks from Ayako, Monk, and John, Yasu decided to indulge his three lost coworkers. "Well for one," he began while pointing one finger up into the air as if counting, "if she were incorrect don't you think the nice police detective over there would have corrected her statement already?"

All three jumped in realization as they slowly turned to face Kenshin who had been standing in a corner of the room the whole time. The detective just raised an eyebrow at them as if asking if they had really just forgotten that he was in the room. Throughout this, Masako quietly sat in her metal foldout chair and only observed. "Aren't you supposed to be investigators? Not very good if you even forget the people standing within the same room as you." came Kenshin's even and deep tone.

All three slightly flinched at the jab but it was Naru who spoke up first. "While I agree that my employees should be more aware of their surroundings," the trio hung their heads in embarrassment at this and Naru turned in his chair to face Kenshin, "I would appreciate it if you would refrain from chiding them."

Directing his eyes to the young man seated next to the monitors, the detective held his gaze for a couple of seconds before giving a small nod of his head in apology. "I overstepped, it won't happen again." Lifting from the gesture, grey met blue once more. They stayed this way for a moment more before Naru was satisfied with whatever he found and nodded back in acceptance before swiveling his chair in the direction of the recently unconscious high schooler.

Snapping his binder shut, Naru easily grabbed the attention of the rest of the room's occupants, _'Now then...'_

"Mai what happened in the room next door?" the question sounding more like a demand.

Turning burning eyes onto the man that she had been arguing with not even 5 minutes prior, Mai made to snap at him, "Now you listen here-"

"I'm sorry, but this time it is my turn to ask you to not overstep." Kenshin interjected.

Naru minutely narrowed his eyes in Kenshin's direction. "What do you mean Detective?"

Pushing off from the wall that he had been leaning on, Kenshin slowly walked over to where Mai was sitting. "Mai is no longer your employee and is currently working for the department, so discussing any ongoing cases and their happenings with unrelated individuals is strictly prohibited." Having reached his destination, Kenshin offered Mai a hand up which she accepted, placing her leather gloved hand -Kenshin had placed the gloves back on while she was still unconscious- in his before being led to the door.

Naru did not appreciate the sudden roadblock in his investigation but, whether he liked it or not, Mai was no longer obligated to answer him and he was smart enough not to argue with a cop. Also, judging by her reaction to his earlier question, and their argument, he believed that even without the detective's intrusion she wouldn't have willingly answered anyways.

Watching Mai being lead out of the room had a couple of the members of SPR looking as if their parent just confiscated their favorite toy. Takigawa was the first to break the silence. "Detective Noboru, if you're having Mai consult then you already know about the spirits here, right?"

Hearing the light brown-haired man speak, Kenshin halted his movement towards the door along with Mai. No need to be rude right? "Yes, I am aware."

Encouraged by this the monk continued. "Then since we've already been hired to investigate the spirits here in the first place don't you think it would be better to work together? Right, Naru?"

The black-clad genius wiped all signs of his previous annoyance from his expression before addressing the monk. Closing his eyes he replied in an even tone, "If the police do not wish to share information with us then it is not our place to force them."

Feeling forgotten, Mai decided to voice her thoughts on the matter. "Monk does have a point, Kenshin." She said while facing her friend.

While Kenshin had always demanded a certain amount of respect for his position he was generally an easy-going guy and really not one for formalities. Certain circumstances, however, required him to pull rank even when he didn't want to and lay down rules that would better benefit everyone in the long run. This, unfortunately, was one such time.

"While I do appreciate the offer," his voice came out polite and authoritative, "Mai has consulted on quite a few cases for us and no other assistance was needed then so I believe that we have everything covered."

"But-"

"Kenshin-"

"In the future, if your assistance is needed," Kenshin shot Naru a small business-like smile, "we will be certain to fill you in on everything that has happened so far." and just like that, he placed a hand on Mai's upper back and lead them both out of the room.

The click of the door closing echoed throughout the small cement-walled base. Not a second later did the room's occupants detect a dip in the room temperature and an increase in the tension. Everyone knew the cause of the change in the atmosphere but no one dared to mention it out loud.

_'Looks like the Big Boss just found himself some competition.'_ Yasu laughed inwardly.

Ayako leaned over to her right in order to whisper to Takigawa. "That detective's pretty impressive to be able to withstand Naru's glares and smile at him while doing it."

The monk raised his right hand up to his mouth to shield his reply from prying eyes. "I know right? Not even a flinch. But the guy just stole Mai from us and after we just got her back!" At the end of his sentence, a pout was forming on his features and his voice had risen so it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Don't worry mate, I'm sure we'll get another chance to see Mai. It's not like we were kicked out so we'll run into her eventually." John stated, wearing a compassionate smile.

With her sleeve covering her mouth, Masako chimed into the conversation for the first time. "Knowing Mai, all we have to do is wait for trouble and it'll lead us right to her." the medium's eyes were closed in a smile.

No one in the room could argue the point, even the duo at the monitors. All of SPR's members knew perfectly well the penchant for trouble that the young woman had. In the life of Mai Taniyama, these facts always held true: If there is trouble to be had, she will be right in the middle of it; If there is no trouble, she will soon be the cause of it.

"We'll definitely see her soon." Stated the monk.

All the investigators mentally agreed.

___________________________________________________________________________________

After being dragged out of the team's base, Mai decided it would be better to question Kenshin now in the hallway rather than within a room full of eavesdroppers. She planted her feet, refusing to walk any further, which in turn caused the detective to halt his movements as well. Kenshin then turned to face the high schooler, one black eyebrow raised in confusion.

Gently pulling free, Mai placed both hands on her hips. "They could've helped us you know."

Seeing her serious look, Kenshin turned to fully face her and placed both of his hands in the pockets of his black slacks before leaning against the wall on his left. Returning the serious look that he was being given, Kenshin replied. "I meant everything I said in there. You didn't need help before and there's no reason for them to give us a hand now."

Not liking his answer, the small female hardened her stare just a little. "While I appreciate the faith you have in me, they could make things go a lot quicker."

His stare never faltered. "I know that."

Now Mai was just annoyed. "Then what's the issue?"

Kenshin let out a tired sigh and closed his eyes. "Do you honestly think that working with your old boss is really a good idea Mai?" Opening his eyes back up, the high schooler was met with steely grey piercing into her. "The first time you see each other in two years and not even five minutes later you're already at each other's throats. Plus there are some things that you're not ready to talk about that they will definitely question."

Mai visibly flinched at that and looked down at her now clasped hands.

Witnessing the change in her demeanor, Kenshin's expression softened considerably. "I'm just trying to look out for you."

Peeking up through long brown lashes, Mai gives a small smile. "Thanks."

Lifting himself from his perch against the wall, the young detective leaned over and affectionately patted Mai on the head. "No problem. Now, why don't you tell me about your episode earlier."

Her smile faded at this. "Oh yeah..."

**Screaming, a blazing heat...pain**

"...right." Her eyes dazed in remembrance.

Kenshin's eyebrows furrowed in concern at this. "You need to wait?"

Mai just shook her head. "No, I'll be fine." Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself down and began retelling her dream.

___________________________________________________________________________________

**After touching the remains, Mai opened her eyes to see the faces of two teenagers, one male, and one female, staring back at her.**

**"Guys, can we go back now? It's creepy in here." the girl said. She had black, pixie cut hair with brown eyes and was wearing a black hoodie and light blue skinny jeans.**

**"Aw, you scared Yuki?" Teased the other male. His hair was bleached and his black eyes blended into the darkness of the building. He was also wearing a jacket with black jeans.**

**Feeling the body she was in move, Mai heard these words leaving her mouth. "She's afraid that the ghost is gunna come and attack her. Legend says that it prefers women." Her deep tone teased the female of the group.**

**Yuki's now freaked out expression was met with laughter from both of the guys with her. "Shut up!"**

**Clack. Clack. Clack.**

**The whole group froze and swung their flashlights in the direction of the noise. "Guys...what was that?" Yuki's voice was shaking as was her hand which caused the glow of her flashlight to quiver against the deteriorating cement wall.**

**"Relax it was probably a rat. No need to freak out." Mai's body spoke but she could feel that the smile that was once present was now replaced by a cautious expression.**

**"Come on, I want to go check out the Fire Room." Spoke the other male before he led the trio through the musty halls. Mai decided that she should probably try and memorize where this Fire Room is located since it'll probably be important later on.**

**It took the group a good ten minutes before they made it to their destination. Along the way there were quite a few noises that had the girl, Yuki, jumping in her skin and flinching at every creak and tap.**

**"We're here."**

**Checking out the metal door before her, Mai read through all the graffiti plastered along its surface. Keep out. Fire Room. Lost. Help. Death. Some of the words were spray-painted, most likely by teenagers, but others looked to have been scratched directly into the surface.**

**"So, who wants to go in first?" Came Mai's now deep voice.**

**"Since you asked why don't you take the lead Shinrei? You're the one that wanted to come to this rundown factory in the first place." Yuki's tense voice cut through the silence that surrounded the group as they stared at the entrance to the infamous room.**

**"Yeah well, as they say, ladies first." Mai's body, now identified as Tachibana Shinrei, pushed Yuki closer towards the graffitied metal. Though not without resistance of course.**

**"No way! Age before beauty!"**

**Watching the two argue, the last member of the group spoke up. "Look if it'll shut you both up I'll go in first." Stepping past the duo he placed one hand upon the heavy door, applying little pressure before it slowly swung open emitting a long creaking sound. Taking the first step into the pitch black, the boy eased his way into the interior of the room, shining his light on every surface he could find. Following their friend's lead, Shinrei and Yuki also entered.**

**_'It looks just like the rest of this building. Broken equipment, shattered windows, and those strange black marks covering the walls.'_ Mai thought as Shinrei's body moved throughout the space.**

**She watched as the other teens inspected the room looking for anything out of the ordinary. Mai then listened as words not her own left her mouth. "Kyo, I thought this place was supposed to be covered in blood and messages of the dead. All I see is a bunch of junk and broken furniture." The young psychic could feel the boredom and disappointment that Shinrei was experiencing as though it were her own.**

**Kyo just shrugged his shoulders."Just goes to show that you can't always believe those rumors."**

**"Well if you two are finally done," Yuki pointed her flashlight at the two boys and place her left hand on the opposite hip in a self-comforting gesture, "can we please get out of here already?"**

**"Fine, fine," Kyo walked up to Yuki and placed one hand on her shoulder, "time to get the frightened princess out of the demon's lair." In response, she just huffed and pushed off his hand before strolling out the doorway.**

**Watching them leave, Shinrei decided he was done too. "Yeah let's get going."**

**As Shinrei's body was navigating its way through the debris Mai could feel her foot connect with one of the wooden posts which caused her to stumble and drop the flashlight making the room become shrouded in darkness. "Crap." Kneeling down, Mai began feeling out the ground in an attempt to locate the plastic light source. Shinrei's deep voice shouted out to his companions. "Wait up guys I lost my flashlight!"**

**Finally pinpointing the electronic Mai stood back up and tried flipping the switch to turn it back on. "Oh come on you stupid thing." She then proceeded to smack it against her palm causing the light to flicker on and off in a random pattern. "Damn cheap thing." While her gaze was faced down and towards the light in her hands she suddenly saw a black mass out of the corner of her eye.**

**"Huh?" Looking up, Mai could then feel an emotion she recognized as unease settling in the pit of her and Shinrei's stomach.**

**No longer hitting the flashlight, it continued to strobe against the wall and cast eerie shadows along its surface. Focusing on the illuminated area she just stood still and continued staring at the wall for a good minute or so before the figure appeared again during one of the flashes then soon vanishing once more. Screaming at the unwelcome sight, Mai dropped the flashlight for the second time, covering the old room in a blanket of black.**

**"Yuki, Kyo?" Shinrei's usually steady tone came out quieter and lacking the usual confidence. Very slowly she felt her way across the cluttered floor and held her hands out to feel for the wall. Panic was overcoming her senses and her breathing was becoming erratic. "Ok guys very funny. Jokes over so come out." A large crash was heard from the other side of the enclosed space making her whip her head in the direction it came from.**

**"Guys?"**

**She then felt a hand land on her shoulder causing her to jump. "Jesus, don't do that I thought you both were the-" Instead of a friendly face, Shinrei was met with a black, human-shaped head.**

**Flailing and backpedaling in an attempt to get away from the entity. Panic was soon replaced by fear. Then everything happened very suddenly. The heavy metal door to the room slammed shut and Mai could feel as the body she was reliving everything through was lifted off the ground and thrown back-first against the concrete wall across the room causing her head to snap back with a sickening crack. Though the haze and throbbing pain a dark, fuzzy shape could be seen slowly making its way towards her prone body. It was then that she could feel the space around her begin to heat up as flames sprouted out of the hard floor. Gradually, and with much difficulty, Shinrei's body backed itself into the nearest corner in a desperate bid to escape the deadly flames. Mai could hear Shinrei screaming within his own mind for someone, anyone, to come help him! Having been too frightened to vocalize his thoughts, Mai continued to listen to his internal plea's even as his clothing caught fire. She could feel every touch, every lick of the fire's tendrils as it began to consume the young man's body as if it were her own pain. Just when she thought it couldn't get worse, the floor collapsed from underneath and into the lower floor's ceiling causing a metal rod to puncture straight through the middle of her chest. Still alive, bleeding out and on fire, Mai and Shinrei's minds both screamed out for an end to the slow, agonizing torture that they were being subjected to.**

**'Please...PLEASE...just...just end it already!'**

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Mai was now leaning against the wall along with Kenshin as she neared the end of her dream. "The last thing I remember seeing through the film of pain was that shadow standing over me as if it was...mocking me." She had stared unseeingly at her gloved hands throughout the re-telling but as she vocalized everything phantom pains ran over her skin making her clench her fists.

Reaching over, Kenshin laid his left hand on her shoulder, bringing her out of her trance-like state. "That's good work, Mai. I'll have the uniforms start locating Yuki and Kyo to see if they might have heard or seen anything."

Taking slow, deep breaths Mai began relaxing her body in order to separate herself from the lingering feelings brought on by her explanation. "I just hope that they made it out of here." Calm was then replaced with worry for the two teens she had met in her dream.

The officer next to her just shook his head with a small smile adorning his face. "Stop worrying about every single person you come across. You didn't hear any other screams but from yourself and Shinrei, right? So I'm sure they're fine."

"I guess you're right, as always." Her usual cheerfulness beginning to bounce back.

Kenshin just stared at Mai for a few seconds then lifted his hand from her shoulder and stuck it on her head and ruffled her brown locks.

"Hey! What was that for?!" reaching up, she began patting down her now tangled hair into a manageable mane. Kenshin just pushed off from the wall and began walking towards the crime scene leaving a sputtering and glaring Mai in his wake.

Turning his head back in her direction, Mai could see an upward tilt at the corner of his mouth. "Well...you coming?"

Glaring even harder at the man Mai huffed before stomping past Kenshin and into the crime scene with a chuckling detective tagging along behind her.

The day quickly faded into night, making the normally unwelcoming factory adopt an even spookier aura. Both the investigative team and SPR had been hard at work and now on full alert. If an attack like the one earlier can happen during broad daylight they suspected a much stronger response would occur in the dark. Since the factory hadn't been used in decades, there was no electricity running through the walls of the structure. Naru and the SPR crew had brought a generator that all their equipment ran off of as well as a few floodlights so they wouldn't be in total darkness. The police did much of the same thing just with more floodlights. All members of the forensic team had left earlier that day along with the body so they could run tests on all the evidence they found. While Kenshin already knew the cause of the boy's death, thanks to Mai, he still needed to be able to give some type of explanation to those that wouldn't take "ghost" for an answer.

Takigawa, Ayako, and Yasu were doing their rounds and collecting the used tapes from the cameras and replacing them with new ones. Very boring and tedious work.

"Would you two hurry it up, this place gives me the creeps at night." Complained Ayako as she waited and watched as the boys changed the tapes for the rooms in the second-floor hallway.

"Don't worry, the ghost prefers young girls, remember? I'd say you're a couple of decades past youthful already." The monk snickered from next to the recording device.

Ayako shot a deadly glare in his direction and crossed her arms over her chest. "The old one here is you, Monk! You even chase after young boys!"

The last comment had him backpedaling mentally and physically. "The hell, no I don't! That creepy kid won't leave me alone! I'm innocent I tell you, innocent!"

Poking his head into the room occupied by the older duo Yasu had a look of hurt plastered on his face. "But last night you promised that you would always love me even with the age difference. You can't go back on your promise it'll break my heart!"

"See I was right. Just another old pedophile." The miko smirked at the now pale monk.

"Shounen! Don't do that, you know it creeps me out!" Takigawa was standing with the camera firmly placed between himself and the smiling college student.

"Aw, it was just a joke, no need to get so freaked out." While Yasu's face portrayed regret his eyes were almost sparkling with mirth at the panic he caused within his co-worker.

A short buzz from the walkie talkie that the monk was carrying was heard before Naru's thoroughly irritated voice came through. _"I don't pay you to act like children. Get back to work."_

The two adults paled at the tone Naru had used while Yasu continued to smile. "Looks like Naru's pretty grumpy today. I bet he's just jealous that that detective gets to hog all of Mai's tea."

"That isn't the only thing he's hogging." Muttered Ayako with a suggestive tone in her voice.

_"If you all aren't done and back in five minutes I'm cutting your pay in half."_

Knowing that it wasn't a threat to take lightly all three scrambled out of the room they were currently in and ran through the other rooms as fast as possible before quickly making their way back to base. Slamming the door open, the trio pushed themselves into the room with seconds to spare before collapsing on the ground drained of energy.

Watching the way they entered as if they were being chased by the ghost, John walked up to them with concern. "Are you guys alright? Did something happen?"

All three mumbled one word. **"Naru."**

Hearing that, John let out a nervous laugh. He definitely understood what they meant by that. Sometimes their boss could be worse than any spirit.

Sitting in silence for a little bit the rest of the paranormal investigators began doing the only productive thing they could do. Discuss the case.

"This is ridiculous," sighed Ayako, "when we first got here we immediately experienced everything that the client told us about. Knocking, disembodied voices, being physically attacked, all of it and now, besides the little episode earlier, two days of nothing!" she huffed in annoyance and crossed her arms in front of her.

"It is rather frustrating." Spoke John.

Having relaxed enough that he was now lying on the floor, Takigawa joined the conversation. "Yasu have you managed to find anything on this place yet?"

Losing the ever-present mischievous gleam from his expression, Yasu adopted a much more serious demeanor as he began explaining what he knew of the factory so far. "Well as you all know, the name of the building is the Atsuko factory. It was constructed in 1923 and produced all the goods for the Atsuko Company who were in the clothes making industry."

Hearing that his employees were actually discussing something useful Naru, along with Lin, stopped what they were doing in order to learn what their resident researcher had discovered.

Having removed himself from the cold concrete floor, Yasu strode over to a small messenger bag and took out a dark blue binder and opened it before he continued sharing with his coworkers. "Back then the laws concerning workers' rights were practically nonexistent so this place was basically a sweatshop where wives of struggling families would come looking for jobs. Since they needed the money, they couldn't afford to complain about the conditions that they were working under. The man who ran the company was Gorou Hiroshi and from what I could tell he wasn't the friendliest person around, caring more about his money than his own family. During its years of operation, the factory didn't experience any sort of traumatic injuries other than some of the women getting caught in and injured by the machines they used to create their fabrics which, at the time, was rather common. However, six years after its opening, a fire broke out that ended up consuming the entire building. As far as they could tell, since there were never any records of employees recovered, all the workers got out safely but apparently Mr. Hiroshi never made it out. Soon after that, the factory was shut down and has remained abandoned since. Every once in a while people would buy the property but once they started their construction there would always be accidents that caused major injuries, and in one case, even death."

Shifting his gaze, Naru addressed the medium sitting on the couch. "Ms. Hara, have you sensed anything yet?"

Moving her eyes back and forth as if looking for something, Masako then settled her gaze on Naru. "It's hard to tell with all the other wandering souls in this place. I can feel the spirit's presence but nothing else, there's too much interference, although..." At this point, she lifted her kimono sleeve up to her mouth and fluttered her eyes flirtatiously, "if I was to walk the property I might get a better read on the spirit though of course, I'll need someone to come with me..." She let her sentence trail off at the end and everyone knew what she was asking.

Having lowered his eyes back down to his binder when Masako said that she couldn't feel anything, Naru responded without looking up. "Father Brown can accompany you."

The disappointment that Masako felt was seen only for a couple of seconds before she schooled her features into her normal aloof look. Without a word the medium slowly stood from her chair and made her way out of the base, the young priest scrambling to catch up with her.

"Monk, Ms. Matsuzaki, help Yasu leaf through the information he brought to see if you can find anything helpful." Directed Naru.

The two adults just sighed at this. "Yeah," mumbled the monk, "and by that, he means to stay still and be quiet."

Resigning themselves to the long hours of reading dozens of pages of historical information, all three gathered around the messenger bag and each grabbed a stack of the papers before settling down in the provided chairs.

Then the lights went out.

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**  
So you like?**

**I know, not the most exciting chapter but next chapter there will be much more ghostly occurrences and the groups will work together eventually so don't worry there's no way I can keep Naru and Mai apart for too long (they're just too entertaining together lol)**

**Well till next time :)**

**shayrulz  
**


	4. There She Goes Again

**Edited: 1/30/2020**

****

**Chapter 4: There She Goes Again...**

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An all-consuming darkness engulfed the team in their windowless room. Dropping the packets of information carelessly onto the cement floor, Ayako and Takigawa swiftly rose to their feet and attempted to see through the pitch-black while Yasu sat glued to his spot.

They were immediately on high alert.

Takigawa had his prayer beads held tightly within his left hand and Ayako had raised her right arm in anticipation of using the nine cuts. Lin and Naru stood from their chairs at the monitors, tense and ready to move. Lin took a step closer to his charge so he could protect the young man - if the need arose.

As soon as the building had gone dark, Naru unlocked his phone for what little light it could provide and felt his way over to a small black canvas bag sitting next to the monitors, rummaging through it until he finally felt the solid plastic of a flashlight within his grasp. Pulling it free he quickly flipped the switch, put his phone away, and checked the base for anything unusual.

"What's going on?" questioned Ayako as she continued to scan the room with what little light they had.

Not gracing her with an answer, Naru tossed the bag at the monk so they could all grab a flashlight of their own before handing one to Lin as well and checking over the now-dead equipment to see if he could determine a cause.

Seeing that all his machines were unresponsive the black haired teen began issuing out orders. "We need to regroup." Turning to address the tall onmyouji, Naru regarded him with his normal level headed attitude. "Lin, see if you can reach Fr. Brown and Ms. Hara."

Not wasting time, Lin grabbed the walkie-talkie sitting on the monitor table and immediately attempted to contact the only two members of their group not in base. A buzzing static was heard then John's tense accented voice came through. _"We're here. All the floodlights suddenly went out though."_

Taking the communication device from Lin, Naru further questioned the Australian priest. "Where are you located."

The familiar static was heard before he received his answer. _"We're on the second floor in the main hallway."_

"I want both of you to head straight back to base." He responded with an air of finality.

_"Ah….well, about that..…you see when the floodlights went out Masako tripped over one of the old pieces of furniture and twisted her ankle so she can't walk on her own."_ Everyone could hear the slight nervousness in John's voice as he told their boss something he knew wouldn't please him.

The narcissist's blue eyes narrowed the minutest amount in irritation while the rest of his face stayed as neutral as it always was. "Stay where you are we'll be there in a moment."

_"Will do."_

Knowing that the rest of SPR had heard the conversation, Naru didn't bother telling them what needed to be done and instead made his way to and out the door with Lin following close behind and everyone else scrambling after him.

It took them less than five minutes to reach their destination and once John and Masako were in sight, Ayako went over to check on the medium's ankle to see how bad it really was while everyone else gathered around. After a quick inspection, turning her foot every which way – much to Masako's discomfort – the priestess said that it was very minor and she should be able to walk on it in a couple of hours.

Facing the young Australian, Takigawa decided to see what he knew. "So John, you guys see what might have caused this?"

"Sorry mate, can't say we did. One moment everything was pretty normal then the next we couldn't see a thing." He supplied with an apologetic face.

Listening to his employee's conversation, Naru turned to the now limping Masako who was slowly making her way over the rest with Ayako's support. "Ms. Hara do you sense anything?" came his monotone inquiry.

Lifting her gaze to meet his, Masako shut her eyes and concentrated on anything that she could feel at the moment. "When the power first went out I felt a strong spike of energy from the spirit but it's very hard to locate now, though…there is something…" She continued to focus harder on the small nagging of something that she could faintly sense at the back of her mind. Wrinkling her brow in concentration the medium pushed harder until the feeling flooded her like a breaking damn. Snapping her eyes open she spoke in a soft but clear voice. "It's on the other side of the building on the third floor releasing a massive amount of negative energy."

Making a split-second decision, Naru addressed the team. "Lin, Fr. Brown, and Takigawa will follow me to the spirit. Ms. Matsuzaki, you will take Ms. Hara and Yasu back to base and stay there with them." And before any arguments or disagreements could be voiced he turned on his heels, rushing off in the ghost's direction with the men of SPR quickly running to catch up.

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Keeping their fast pace, the group reached the third floor in record time but Naru began noticing that something wasn't quite right. _'The temperature's rising the closer we get and the hallway...'_

"Hey guys, what's that flickering light? It looks kinda like flames." Takigawa vocalized.

Speeding up, they came to a halt outside a door that seemed to be covered in graffiti of all kinds with some being rather suspicious and disturbing. The heat and the light were both coming from this room so Naru suspected that this was where the ghost was located. Attempting to open the door, Naru pulled at the handle before quickly snatching his hand back after being burned by the heated metal. Seeing as the normal way wouldn't work, he signaled for Lin to try kicking it down. Once that failed the monk stepped up and began chanting to see if that would unseal the large metal blockade and, a minute later, the heavy door swung open with great force and the team was immediately assaulted by the blazing heat of a raging fire that covered almost all of the room.

And in the middle of it stood Mai and Kenshin.

They both were positioned back to back in the only spot where the fire had yet to engulf as if it was being stopped by some invisible force. Having heard the metal door crash into the stone wall as it was opened, Kenshin's head snapped in the noise's direction only to come face to face with the SPR members. They could clearly see the worry written all over his face as he stared at them. "You've gotta get rid of that thing, I don't think she can hold off this fire much longer!"

At that statement, Naru zeroed in on the one person who didn't even flinch at their entrance only to see Mai with her eyes glued shut in deep concentration and silently chanting something over and over again. He also noticed that she was holding her hands in a familiar seal that he'd seen Takigawa use countless times.

She was shielding them.

"MAI!" the monk shouted before taking action and chanting once more in an effort to harm the spirit enough for it to stop its' attack. Soon John joined in as well, splashing his holy water on the burning room's floor while reciting his scripture. As all this was going on Naru and Lin started to look for a way that they could safely get Mai and the detective out of the center of the blazing fire. "Detective, can she keep that barrier up while moving?" Lin shouted over all the other voices and noise that filled the room.

Shaking his head in the negative, Kenshin watched as the fire slowly inched closer as Mai began to tire. "It'll fall as soon as she moves!"

Cursing under his breath, Naru began thinking of everything that could possibly get the two out of this situation. Then it hit him. "Lin give me your coat."

Not asking any questions the older man handed it over and watched as his charge then ran down the hall before disappearing into one of its other rooms. Turning back to the issue at hand he watched with much concern as the once decently sized space that both the detective and Mai were occupying gradually shrunk before their very eyes.

Not a moment later Naru sprinted back to his side along with two thoroughly soaked coats. Already knowing what it was that his young boss wanted, Lin swiftly took back his and grabbed Kenshin's attention then chucked the weighed down material in his direction.

Upon receiving the coat, Kenshin tucked it under his arm then caught the other covering as it was tossed to them. Taking the larger one for himself, he draped it over his head before crouching down till his mouth was right next to Mai's ear so he could whisper what they needed to do without startling her enough to break her concentration. "On the count of three I'm going to throw the jacket on you and we're going to book it to the exit."

Without waiting for a response that he knew wouldn't come, Kenshin rose from his lowered position and checked their surroundings in order to decide on a proper escape while avoiding as much of the debris as possible.

"One-"

The flames grew closer.

"Two-"

The chanting from both the monk and John steadily grew louder.

"Three!"

Thrusting the dripping material onto the small girl her focus broke and the barrier instantly went down while the flames greedily rushed for them till their once bare space was consumed by the heat. Grabbing Mai by the arm, Kenshin sprinted with her through the white-hot inferno, both hissing as some of the flames broke past their temporary shields. Finally, they made it to the exit and ran past the four men till they stopped their momentum at the wall opposite the room they just left out in the hallway.

John and Takigawa then backed out of the overheated room as the flames grew taller, most likely in response to the spirit's ire at its latest victim's escape. Once everyone had left the room's entrance, they all took a quick breather and just as they were about to ask if the two panting against the wall were okay loud knocking sounds could be heard all around them as well as what sounded like metal scraping against the hard cement surface of the factory. Eyes widening towards the end of the hallway, Mai only let out two simple words. "It's here."

Not seeing whatever it was Mai could but not willing to doubt her, Naru shouted over all the commotion happening around them. "Everyone back to base now!"

Without another word, the group dashed back to the first floor. The whole way there it seemed as if the knocking and scrapping were following them and slowly gaining. Mai constantly looked over her shoulder at the unknown assailant with a tense and frightened expression clear for all to see. Kenshin had placed a firm grip on her hand so he could make sure that she wouldn't slow down or lose them along the way. Right as they rounded the corner to the base, the scraping came from directly behind them, much too close for comfort. Lin hastily swung one of the base doors open and they all sprinted in before he slammed it closed behind them, locking it in the process and placing one of Ayako's wards on its surface. Backing away, they all watched as the double doors shook fiercely for a little bit as they could still hear the knocking and metal sounds from the hallway through the walls of the base. After about two minutes of this, everything abruptly stopped and an eerie silence fell over the group. No one moved for a good while as they waited to see if whatever was haunting the factory would make another appearance. Slowly, they realized that they wouldn't be receiving an encore and they all allowed their tense postures to relax before finding seating at various spots around the room.

Both Kenshin and Mai peeled off the wet coats that they had been given and hung them on the backs of a pair of chairs that were scattered across the room. Ayako, seeing the state that they were in bee-lined it straight over to the duo.

Yasu, Masako, and she had watched as one of the thick wooden doors was thrown open with great force, soon followed by the sprinting members of their team and two extras. Seeing the panicked and wary expressions on their faces, Ayako had leaped to her feet in response as they all waited to see what would happen next. Once things calmed down, everyone focused on their old team member and the detective. Ayako shoved her way through her coworkers, eventually made it to the two wet individuals to check them over, though not before giving everyone the evil eye and telling them to back off in a not-so-subtle way. She started off by heading straight over to the detective and found a couple of small burns on his hands and legs where the water-logged coat wasn't able to cover but nothing too serious. Other than that he seemed to be perfectly fine, if not a little cold, but fine. "Here let me put some ointment on those burns then we can get them bandaged."

As she started reaching for his arm, his opposite hand grabbed hers, making her give him a sharp but questioning look. The others froze at this as well. They all had experience with possessions before and didn't want to let their guard down on the off chance that the detective had been taken over by the resident spirit.

Seeing the group of people surrounding him tense up, Kenshin dropped her hand and gave her a reassuring look. "I'm fine it's just a couple of minor burns. Check Mai first, she's the one that did most of the work."

Nodding her consent, the redheaded woman turned toward the young girl that she had met all those years ago. Mai was in a similar state as Kenshin. Minor burns here and there from where the coat couldn't protect her but, unlike her male counterpart, she was pale and looked ready to collapse.

Acting fast, Ayako opened up the first aid kit and quickly bandaged Mai's wounds before checking her health. Holding a hand to the young girl's forehead she checked for any dangerous spikes in her body temperature and was relieved to find that she felt normal. "Mai I need you to look me in the eye."

Mai, hearing the request, slowly lifted her heavy eyes from the solid ground that she had been staring at for the past couple of minutes. The first thing she saw was Ayako and her worried expression and close behind her were Lin and Naru with, dare she say it…concern in their eyes?

"Mai, how are you feeling?"

Mai stopped her mind from thinking too much into what she might or might not have seen and brought her attention back to Ayako. "Like I just ran a marathon and had a brick dropped on my head. "

Ayako's brown eyes narrowed in thought before she held up her hand for Mai to see."I want you to follow my finger with your eyes only."

Silently complying, Mai sluggishly did as told. She then held still as Ayako shined a penlight in her eyes which did nothing to help her growing headache.

"Mai, can you tell me how many fingers I'm holding up?"

Mai focused in on her hand, "Um…two?"

Lowering her arm Ayako put the one finger she was holding up down and continued questioning the girl. "Any dizziness or ringing in your ears?"

"Ya, a little." The young teen spoke softly.

Ayako's concern continued to grow for the girl. "Mai, do you get headaches like this normally?" Seeing the girl shake her head in the negative the priestess continued her questioning, "Then do you know what caused this? Did you hit your head at all?"

"It's most likely from overusing her psychic abilities."

Doing a complete 180 in her spot, Ayako looked directly at Naru along with the rest of her colleges, silently prompting him to explain. "She pushed herself too hard and these appear to be the consequences." He continued with an even tone while looking straight at Mai who only started back with what little energy she had left.

Deciding to join the conversation Takigawa also had a few questions for the young girl. "Mai, what happened?"

Seeing the monk had confusion and worry written all over his body language, she took a deep, calming breath to center herself before answering. "We were investigating the Fire Room."

"The Fire…Room?" asked John.

Humming her agreement she elaborated. "Remember when I sort of flipped out earlier at the crime scene? I had a vision."

Interrupting her, Naru asked his own inquiry. "I thought you could only see these visions when you were asleep."

Giving her old boss a deadpan look, Mai let out a frustrated but tired sigh. "It's been 2 years Naru. Did you think that my powers would just up and vanish like you did?" Everyone heard the accusation in her words and gave small involuntary flinches but no one acknowledged it out loud. Mai could see a flash of something in her old boss's eyes but it was gone faster than she could blink.

"Anyways, during the vision, I saw what happened to that kid that was killed, and he was killed in that room by whatever is haunting this place, so Kenshin and I decided to check it out for any clues."

"So you thought it would be smart to just waltz into the same room where someone was murdered by a spirit in the dead of night? You shouldn't be consulting for anyone if these are the kind of decisions you make." Naru spoke out.

Kenshin tensed up at that but Mai placed her hand on his wrist before he could say anything. Even completely exhausted, she was fully capable of standing up for herself and she refused to take Naru's insults lying down. She forced her eyes to focus as she full-on glared at the black-clad man before her with pure disdain, a look that she had never once directed towards him before, causing him to mentally recoil at the sight and widen his eyes in surprise along with everyone else in the room. "Was it not you who said, and I quote, "When a spirit attacks they absorb the surrounding energy and use that to fuel their assault of their chosen victim(s). After this exertion of power, the spirit will need to recover and regain its depleted energy. The more power sources available to them, the more rapidly they will recover." It was you who wrote that, right _Dr. Davis?_ "

Naru and Lin instantly recognized the little excerpt. Out of everything she could have said they did not expect it to be a quote from one of Naru's books. Bringing back his neutral calm, Naru gave his rebuttal, "A valid point but that corpse looked as though it had been there for months which is plenty of time for the spirit to recover so that makes your argument invalid." His confidence in his words rolled off him in waves until Mai doused his ego in cold water.

"That energy should have been used up for the most part in the attack on myself earlier today. Also, that body has only been here for 3 days, max. The intense heat from the fire sped up the decomposition and I'm sure the animals that live in this building helped too. I have a very skilled coroner to back up my claim so so you might want to check your facts before attempting to counter it."

Mai: 2

Naru: ...a lot

Seeing no further argument coming, she removed her gaze from the now silent man in front of her and continued telling the rest of them what went on before they showed up. "We went up there to see if I could sense anything that might give us a clue as to who might be behind this but right as I was moving through the piles of old furniture all the power suddenly went out while the door slammed shut and locked us in. The ghost never manifested itself but I could feel it there, watching us. The whole room dropped about 30 degrees and then the flames just started shooting up from the ground. That's when I put up the barrier around us and then you all came in. The rest's history." While she had been recounting her tale, Ayako had continued treating all the scrapes and burns that she could see on both Mai and Kenshin while still listening intently to what Mai had to say.

Daintily removing her hand from its ever-present home in front of her mouth, Masako revealed a curious expression before she spoke. "Mai, you're a medium, are you not? Things such as creating barriers require skills far different from the ones that a medium would posses."

Having wondered the same thing himself, Naru once again zeroed in on Mai and watched to see what she had to say about this particular statement.

Mai could feel the anxiety sweep through her body like a strong wind. While she knew that answering this was better done sooner than later, the young brunette still couldn't get rid of the nervousness of what this line of questioning could bring up.

What memories it could trigger.

Deciding that a version of the truth would make the best distraction, she cautiously responded. "A few years back I was working at my part-time job, an old out of the way book store that has a little bit of everything though it catered to those with more...occult tastes. We get some pretty unique people in every now and then so I didn't give much thought to one guy who walked in one day."

Seeing the puzzled looks, Mai decided to elaborate. "The shop generally has a very specific type of customer. Anyways, it turned out that he was possessed and the ghost apparently had seen the giant invisible target on my back." Everyone could hear the frustration in her voice and couldn't help but feel at their accident-prone friend's expense despite the story being told to them.

Relaxing slightly at their amused expressions, the brunette resumed her story. "To make a long story short, he suddenly came at me with less than pleasant intentions and ended up knocking me into one of the shelves, scattering books everywhere. While I was trying to put space between us, I ended up grabbing one of the books that had fallen and just started chanting the first thing that came to mind over and over again and closed my eyes as I saw him getting closer but I never stopped chanting. After a little bit I opened my eyes only to see him being held back by some invisible force. Which was a mistake seeing as how it broke my concentration and soon he came plowing towards me again. Without anything else I ended up shouting the nine cuts at him..." The memory still had Mai feeling guilty about that particular decision. She knew what using the nine cuts on a human could do but she was out of options at the time.

Everyone else in the room also knew that she had been told never to use the spell on a human again but seeing the guilty look on Mai's face, they didn't bother saying anything about it. Plus if it was truly a last-ditch effort then they couldn't blame her either.

"I was the only one at the shop that day and he came in when the store was empty so I had to handle everything on my own. Since then I've always remembered that chant and it's come in handy more than once." She finished while leaning back in her seat as another wave of dizziness hit her.

Surprisingly, Lin was the first to speak. "Mai what did you do with that book?"

She didn't like the serious tone that he used when asking about the book nor the sharp look he was shooting her way. "Everything was put back on the shelves. It's probably been bought already though. I haven't seen it in the store in a while."

"Enough with the questions, she's exhausted. Give the girl some room to breathe." Interrupted Kenshin before Lin or anyone else could push further at the subject.

Looking over at her companion, Mai could see the look in his eyes clearly saying she owed him one since he was now the recipient of Lin's heavy stare, something no one wanted to be on the receiving end of.

Listening to the detective's request, SPR's members backed off after getting a good look at Mai's condition. Ayako finished the last of the first aid before putting everything away.

Both Mai and Kenshin expressed their thanks to the priestess who waved it off with a small smile.

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Mai felt awful. She had first degree burns spotted across her legs and hands and she was utterly and completely drained. A massive headache had begun forming from the overuse of her powers and only seemed to be getting worse. She raised one of her wrapped hands, courtesy of Ayako, and applied pressure to her temples in an attempt to ease the pain that she felt.

Due to the obstruction to her sight, she never noticed someone walking up to her until they cleared their throat, causing her to lower her hand and glance at the object before her.

A cup of tea.

On the saucer holding the delicate piece of china, there were also two little white pills that looked suspiciously like Advil, much to Mai's glee. Her eyes then trailed up the arm stretched out to her until they settled on the face of her narcissistic ex-boss. The gesture reminded her of when they had taken the case at the Miyama Mansion. The thought of that awful case still sent shivers running up and down Mai's spine.

Reaching out, she gently took the warm drink from his hand and whispered her thanks before popping both pills into her mouth and drinking them down with the familiar taste of Earl Grey. Naru didn't say anything in return before he made his way back over to the table that held the monitors and all their research.

Lowering the cup from her lips, Mai then noticed all the looks that everyone in the room was directing her way such as Masako's raised brow all the way to Yasu's amused and eyebrow waggling expression. The last one made her blush and look back down at the cup in her hands. _'I'm still mad at him and his attitude, but the gesture is definitely appreciated. Stupid, narcissistic, idiot scientist.'_

Caught up in her internal rambling, the young woman never noticed the questioning stare that she was receiving from Kenshin, though that's not to say that some of the other occupants in the room didn't. Yasu had a thoughtfully curious look on his face as he watched the duo seated on the couch before switching his gaze over to his black-clad boss in an effort to see if he could decider anything from the man's ever blank expression. _'Blank unless it involves our little troublemaker of course.'_ He added as an afterthought. At this point in time though, it seemed that he wouldn't be gleaning any new information from the young business owner.

It was at this time that all the lights and electricity in the building decided to turn back on causing the people gathered in the room to let out a collective sigh of relief and turn off the flashlights seeing as there was no point in having them on anymore.

Taking the opportunity presented to him, Takigawa decided it was now or never if he wanted to talk with Mai and her partner. "So Detective, you guys found out anything that might identify who's causing all the craziness around here?"

The man turned to face the monk before shaking his head in the negative. "There aren't many records of this place that are still around today and even then, there weren't really many kept back during that time period to begin with."

Turning away from his now functioning equipment, Naru added to the conversation. "With what just happened earlier and in Mai's vision I believe it's safe to assume that whoever's haunting this place died in the fire that occurred here."

Kenshin nodded his head in agreement. The big question now though was how were they going to find out exactly who it was haunting the old factory.

After a few minutes of sitting in the quiet contemplating that very question, Kenshin checked his watch before his eye grew in surprise at the time staring back up at him. Rising to his feet, the tall detective gained the attention of the whole room, his movement breaking them out of their thoughts. "Mai it's past 11 pm, we should head out for the night. We still have to report back early tomorrow."

Pulling out her phone and gazing at the time displayed, Mai was also surprised at how late it had gotten. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Slowly lifting herself from the old sofa Mai was only able to take a few steps before the dizziness from earlier overcame her.

Kenshin quickly grabbed her around the waist before she could fully collapse and injure herself further. Lord knows she gets hurt enough as it is. Sighing in resignation, the cop quickly bent down and grabbed her under her knees before lifting her light body completely off the ground. Despite having the room spinning before her eyes, Mai still managed to blush at the unexpected gesture and before she could protest Kenshin spoke up first. "I'm not letting you down when you so clearly can't seem to keep yourself upright."

"But I can walk perfectly fine on my own!"

All Kenshin did was just raise an eyebrow at her with an amused expression that clearly asked if she wanted to test that theory again before Mai's limbs went slack and pouted in defeat causing the detective to chuckle at her stubbornness.

This whole time the members of SPR were watching the fiasco with worry at first when they saw their friend crumbling towards the ground then entertainment at the childish pout that Mai was shooting her human transport, letting out their own laughter at the situation.

Naru, having glanced at his watch as well, also decided that it was late and that they could continue their work in the morning to which the members of SPR were rather grateful. Their young boss had been known from time to time to keep them working into the wee hours of the morning when a case was particularly interesting or difficult.

Mai was still feeling the effects of her overused powers as she was held within Kenshin's arms. The headache was starting to dull -thanks to the pills Naru had provided her- and that gave room for the exhaustion to really start settling in on her. As her mind began to drift away into the all familiar darkness of her dreams, she could have sworn that she saw a fuzzy figure standing in the far corner of the room before her lids fully closed.

_"Burn."_

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**That's all folks! (for now at least)**

**Things may seem like they're happening slowly but I personally believe that if you're going to tell a good story you can't just rush through it all, there need to be DETAILS! :)**

**Anyways...Thoughts! Questions! Suggestions! Leave a review and/or PM me and I will do my best to answer anything that you all can throw at me! I accept all comments even constructive criticism so don't hold back on me. I want to learn from this so I can make this story even better for you all**

**So remember my readers, REVIEW! Your words keep my creative juices flowing and the chapters coming :)**

**Till next time!**

**shayrulz**


	5. Resounding Bang

**Edited: 4/5/2020**

**Chapter 5: Resounding Bang**

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Soft rays of sunlight filtered through the window's cream-colored curtains and warmed the face of the female lying on the twin-sized mattress beneath them. The girl's mind slowly made the transition from the peaceful slumber that it was in before to the waking world. Warm chocolate eyes were gradually revealed as the fuzziness of sleep receded to allow the owner to focus on her surroundings. Flipping so she was now resting on her back, Mai drowsily lifted her arms above her head and straightened out her legs in a toe-curling stretch that helped awaken her from her groggy state.

Senses now more aware, Mai immediately smelled an aroma that she was all too familiar with and craved on a regular basis. Slipping out from under the forest green sheets and sliding on her slippers, the young woman made her way out of her small bedroom and into her apartment's hallway till stopping at the entrance to her kitchen.

Standing in front of her stove cooking one of her favorite meals was Kenshin. Sensing that someone was watching him, the detective turned around and smiled at the barely awake girl behind him. "Morning Mai, thought you could use something to eat after what happened yesterday. Everything's pretty much done so just sit down and I'll bring it over to you."

Mai shuffled over to the small breakfast bar and confirmed what her nose was already telling her. "Bacon and eggs...you're going to ruin other men for me Kenshin." With a bit more pep in her step, she jumped up into her chair as Kenshin took the food off the stove and plopped it on two plates for them before placing them on the counter. Mai let out an excited "Itadakimasu!" before greedily devouring the food in front of her. Kenshin just laughed at the girl's antics before sitting down and starting in on his own meal.

Once they had finished Kenshin grabbed the plates and left them in the sink to be washed later on. Seeing that Mai was now fully conscious, Kenshin walked away from the dirty dishes and reclaimed his seat next to her. "So how you feeling?"

"Much better than yesterday, I think the symptoms are pretty much gone." She answered back.

Nodding his head in acceptance Kenshin continued the conversation. "You sure you'll be ok to go back today?"

Mai just shot him a bemused expression."I'm fine Kenshin, really. How many times has something like this happened and I was perfectly capable of going back to work the next day?"

The detective just looked away and grumbled under his breath, "More times than I'd like to admit.."

Mai just sighed at his overprotectiveness but couldn't keep the small smile from creeping onto her lips. She knew he had his reasons for worrying, really she did, but did he have to ask the same question every time she overdid things? _'But then again, that's just one of the things that make Kenshin...well, Kenshin.'_

The man before her then brought her out of her musings as he spoke. "As much as I don't want to admit it, I think I may need to take your advice and offer to work with your old coworkers. We can normally handle these things on our own but this case requires a professional's touch." He was looking her straight in the eye to see how she would react to the news.

Mai just sat there and stared back at him in silence while her mind was going a mile a minute. She wholly agreed that teaming up with SPR would really benefit them, she had even said so yesterday, but she just didn't know if she could deal with Naru and his constant insults. _'Though he was really nice yesterday when he brought me that cup of tea...'_ Shaking the thought from her mind, Mai decided that her personal feelings really shouldn't be getting in the way of them finishing this case and if that meant working with her egotistical ex-boss then she was willing to go through with it. That didn't mean that she'd take everything lying down though. "I think it'd probably be a good idea to work with them too."

Searching her face for who knows what, Kenshin must have found whatever he was looking for since he nodded his agreement and smiled. "Then it's settled. You should get ready so we can go and inform our new coworkers of their brand new partners, no?" A hint of mischief could be seen sparkling in his grey eyes and Mai couldn't help but wonder what Kenshin was going to come up with that would surely put Naru in one of his moods. If nothing else, it should be entertaining.

Mai quickly went through her morning routine and got dressed in a pair of light grey skinny jeans and a red top before she slipped on a matching pair of flats and made her way out of her room and back into the sitting room where Kenshin stood waiting for her by the door. Grabbing her purse and a grey leather jacket, the two exited the small apartment and locked the door before heading down the flight of stairs to where Kenshin's car was parked.

Once they were settled into the vehicle and on the road, Mai decided to ask the man next to her a simple question.

"Hey Kenshin, can I borrow your taser?"

___________________________________________________________________________________

Having arrived at the factory, both Mai and Kenshin made their way over to the base of SPR so they could have a chat about their new plan.

Without knocking, the duo pushed the double doors open and were greeted with surprised and questioning faces that soon morphed into smiles, for most of them.

"Mai, how're you feeling?" Ayako asked as she strolled over to stand next to the brunette.

Smiling brightly, the young psychic answered back with enthusiasm. "Good as new, Ayako!"

She was then pulled into a bone-crushing hug by none other than, you guessed it, Monk. "Jou-chan! I was so worried about you last night!" Mai -as soon as she could breathe again, courtesy on one Kenshin Noboru- just smiled up at him and reassured him of her health.

"It's good to see you again Mai, I'm glad you're feeling better." John was the next person to greet her and she greeted the young Australian back just as pleasantly.

Pretty soon she was once again being clung to like a child's favorite stuffed toy by one bespectacled university student who was rubbing his cheek on her head like a cat. "Oh Mai, don't you ever worry me like that again! What would I do if I ever lost my soul mate to some horrible ghost?"

Mai just rolled her eyes at the boy's antics before patting him on the head. "I thought Monk was your true love Yasu?"

The boy pulled away from the smirking girl then answered in a jokingly serious tone. "Why that wouldn't be jealousy I'm hearing, now is it? Don't worry, there's plenty of me to go around." By the end of that sentence, Takigawa had moved far away from the, in his opinion, creepy university student and Yasu just smiled as if he hadn't said anything wrong at all.

Feeling as though he'd been ignored, Kenshin decided to make his presence known. "While I'm sure Mai's thrilled to see you all again we do have a reason for this visit."

That gave him everyone's attention along with the silent duo on the other side of the room.

"What can we help you with, Detective?" Naru asked in his even-toned voice.

"I know what I said yesterday but things have changed and as such, we would like to request that you work with us on solving this case. I believe that in doing so, we can finish this much quicker and with fewer casualties." Kenshin's reasoning came out professional and logical, something that Mai knew would appeal to Naru.

Unfortunately, her old boss never really did like being predictable.

"I'll have to decline that offer, Detective. While the gesture is appreciated, I think that we can handle this perfectly fine on our own." Even with the polite words everyone in the room could tell that Naru was totally against the idea of cooperating with the police. Whether it was because of the publicity or the fact that there would be amateurs involved, the group as a whole just sighed.

Mai mentally groaned. _'And in Naru-speak that basically means "Back off and let me do my job." '_

Kenshin, however, didn't seem the least upset about it. In fact, his smile grew wider. "I'm sorry, maybe I wasn't clear enough." At this point Mai and Masako swore that they could see some type of evil energy radiating off the detective despite his overly friendly smile.

"This building is now a crime scene and because of that it's now under police jurisdiction so if you wish to continue investigating here then you will need to listen to everything I say since I'm the commanding officer in charge." His scarily friendly smile stayed in place as his gaze locked with the now glaring Naru.

"So let's try this again, I would like to request that you work with us on this case. If not, you are free to pack up and leave within the hour."

By this point, the room's temperature had dropped to an uncomfortable level and no one dared to get in between the smiling detective and their boss's piercing stare.

 _'If looks could kill...'_ Was the thought that ran through everyone's heads.

Naru had never been the type of person to take orders from others -except Madoka, that woman's a special case- but he also wasn't the type to leave a job unfinished. No matter how cold he may come across, the boy did care about those that could get hurt if things were left as they were. His gaze flicked to Mai for a fraction of a second before snapping back to meet Kenshin's mask of politeness.

"Then I guess we should get started, Detective, though my team and I will have full authority when it comes to taking care of the spirit itself." His face lost its hard expression and was back to its normal neutral countenance.

Kenshin's expression reminded everyone within the room of the cat that ate the canary. "Glad to hear that, Mr. Shibuya."

Yasu had one finger tapping his chin in thought before voicing his inner musings. "If Kenshin's now in charge and Mai is working for him but now we're working for them, doesn't that mean that Mai's now in charge of us as well?"

Hearing this, the group all turned to face the short brunette who had a look of surprise on her face before it slowly turned impish. "I am, am I?"

Mai then turned to look directly at Naru who gave her a stare that dared her to even try ordering him around. "Oh Naru~," came her teasing voice.

His stare got even harder. The others in the base all watched the scene with amusement clearly written on their faces, even Masako and Lin were cracking a smile at their clearly unhappy boss.

Then the young woman said the one thing that she'd always dreamed of telling Naru.

"Tea."

For most of the room's occupants, that was their breaking point and they couldn't keep in their laughter any longer before they broke down in fits of giggles and chuckles.

"Guess I should start calling Naru "Boss" and you "Big Boss" now huh?" Spoke the ever-smiling Yasu.

This just added fuel to the fire and caused even the most composed of their group to let out a snort or two. By this point, Naru's glare could cut steel but Mai was just too amused by the whole situation that she couldn't be bothered to let it affect her as it used to. Of course that didn't mean that it wouldn't work on his own employees. One look at their boss's face had the members of SPR petrified in their spots and swallowing down their laughter, some even taking a step or two back from the irate man in front of them.

Kenshin decided that Mai had had enough fun for the moment before interrupting the silent battle of wills going on between her and her old employer. "As amusing as this is, Mai technically isn't a cop so she can't be put in charge of you." Though he'd certainly be interested in watching the chaos unfold if she were ever given the opportunity.

Mai was now pouting at Kenshin while Naru's previously murderous expression now was now one of smug satisfaction and, if she looked really hard, maybe even a little relief?

Nah.

"You always have to ruin my fun." Came her grumbled reply.

Takigawa then stepped up to her before leaning down and using her much shorter head as an armrest. "No need to pout, I'm sure you'll get another chance to torture him in the future." The monk smiled as she swatted him off her head and fixed her now frumpled hair all while muttering to herself about "Stupid tall people" and "Not an armrest".

Kenshin watched the scene with laughter in his eyes. "If I'm always ruining your fun then what do you call last month at the theme park?"

The people that were out of the loop all shared equally confused and, in some cases, suspicious or suggestive looks with one another. Naru seemed to be staring at the duo before with his usual stoicism but if the others had paid attention they would've seen Lin's gaze drifting every now and then to his young charge instead of the curious pair that were talking.

Mai let out a short laugh before she shot a dazzling smile at the detective. "Yeah, I guess you're right. At the time I was surprised you even agreed!"

Both of them seemed to be in their own little world, reminiscing about a past that the others were not privy to before Naru decided to speak up.

"All due respect, Detective, I would like to start working on the case."

It seemed that Naru had popped their little bubble of memories as Kenshin broke eye contact with Mai and turned to face him. "Yes, of course. How about we start by sharing what information we have then go from there?"

Naru nodded his consent before directing Yasu to fill Kenshin in on what he had told the rest of SPR yesterday. Kenshin then added bits and pieces to what they had already known such as that there were quite a few reports filed with the police back then about the working conditions and how the women in the factory were treated. "One complaint reported that the owner would abuse his workers whenever he thought they were slacking off. The police never were able to get the girls to admit to it nor could they find any evidence so the factory owner was never charged." Most of the team looked fairly upset at this news. They never liked the cases where abuse was a factor in everything. John said a quick, silent prayer for all the women who had suffered during their time here while Masako and Mai glanced at each other. Both being sensitive to spirits, they were able to pick up on emotions of those long past fairly easily and neither looked forward to experiencing the emotions of an abused and wronged spirit.

Ayako was the first to break the silence. "The ghost attacks using fire and likes to torture its victims so I think it's probably safe to assume that the old factory owner is the one behind this." Ayako was sporting a slightly angry look on her face. Working as a doctor at her family's hospital she had seen her fair share of victims of domestic violence or abuse and it always angered her thinking about how someone could possibly do that to another human being.

"For once I agree." Everyone was now focused on the monk as he spoke. "He never did make it out of the building after it caught fire and he apparently was a pretty angry dude so it pretty much fits everything that's been going on around here. Honestly though, I'm surprised you didn't come right out and say it was "definitely the work of an earth spirit"." That last part was directed solely at the now fuming priestess that was quickly approaching him.

"What was that you lousy monk?!"

Before the priestess could inflict any bodily harm on the smirking man, Naru spoke up. "Mrs. Hara and Mrs. Matsuzaki, I want you to do a walk-through of the building. Monk and Fr. Brown, follow them and exorcise any rooms that they direct you to."

Pausing mid-swing, Ayako just huffed at the interruption to her revenge before heading straight to the door while Takigawa sighed in relief at not being beaten to a pulp.

"You know, she wouldn't try to kill you if you didn't provoke her all the time." Kenshin had an eyebrow raised and a slight upward tilt to his lips.

The monk just scratched the back of his head and laughed. "True, but she just makes it so easy!"

"Uh Monk, I think she heard you." Mai was pointing behind Takigawa who slowly turned to see Masako and John standing at the door with an angry redhead tapping her foot and giving him a pointed glare that promised pain.

A nervous laugh slipped through his lips before he cautiously walked out the doors with the other three. As soon as they clicked shut everyone could hear the telltale _WHACK_ and accompanying shout of pain.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Yasu gently placed the large packet of info on the small table in front of him while closing his strained eyes and letting out a quiet sigh. He'd been looking through the same pages for the past couple days to see if he could find anything that he might have missed that would help them out with this case.

Scanning the light grey room, the young university student's eyes saw his boss and his ever silent assistant sitting at the monitors, as usual, and being great human impersonations of statues.

Kenshin and Mai had joined him in re-examining the information as soon as the others had left the room to follow Naru's orders and for that he was eternally grateful. While researching may be a specialty of his, it didn't mean that he enjoyed going through 50 pages of small print more than twice.

Fixing his eyes on the pair next to him, Yasu noticed that Mai seemed to be just as bored as him with their task.

"So Mai," lazily lifting her eyes, the young woman looked up from the mound of text to face the college student with a questioning expression, "what exactly have you been up to since everyone last saw you?"

Welcoming the distraction, Mai eagerly answered Yasu. "Oh nothing too exciting. Kenshin mostly calls me up whenever they find any really old remains or a spirit is rumored to haunt the location they're investigating. You never know what the ghost might've seen so while they may not count as the most credible witnesses, they can sometimes at least point us in the right direction."

"Oh I get it, so you're sorta like that writer on that American TV show who follows around the female detective." Yasu smiled cheekily as he could practically see the question marks popping up around Mai's face.

Kenshin let out a small laugh at the comparison. "Not exactly but there are similarities."

Mai just looked between the two with a pout. "I don't get it! What show are you both talking about?" Frustration, at her own lack of knowledge and just knowing that they were somehow teasing her, seeped into her words which only caused both boys to let out another chuckle.

Ignoring the girl's plight, Yasu continued. "Just watch, next she'll come in with a bulletproof vest that says "PSYCHIC"."

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Naru sighed at the noise coming from the group behind him. He could have sworn that he'd also seen an upward twitch of Lin's lips at the reference but it was gone as quick as it appeared. The young man just couldn't seem to understand why it was so difficult for his employees to actually focus on their tasks for once instead of having the attention span of flies.

"Stupid Yasu!"

"Ow!"

...and now they were throwing things.

Very mature.

beep-beep!

Immediately dumping whatever thoughts he may have had about the...adults...behind him, Naru swiveled his chair so he was facing the monitor that displayed the temperature readouts for the factory. Camera four's icon was flashing red.

Both he and Lin scanned the screens containing the video feed from the cameras they had placed throughout the factory until they located the correct one. From the thermal camera that had been placed in the room, the duo watched as the temperature continued to drop at a steady rate.

Having heard the temperature indicator go off, the remaining occupants of the room dropped whatever they were doing and swiftly made their way over to the monitors.

By the time everyone had gathered around, Naru had already grabbed one of the walkie-talkies and began giving orders to those not in the base. "I need everyone to room 18 on the third floor now."

A familiar static could be heard over the radio before Takigawa's voice came through. _"On our way now. What's going on Naru?"_

"The room has dropped approximately 40 degrees in the last 15 seconds. I believe it might be trying to manifest itself." The man replied in his normal even tone.

Mai looked on in worry as she and the rest of the crowd around the monitors watched the two groups make their way to where the activity was occurring. "You don't think that they'll get trapped like we were yesterday, do you?"

The question wasn't directed at anyone in particular but Naru was the first to respond. "It takes a lot of energy to pull off what the spirit did to you two so I highly doubt it can do the same again so soon, but it's still best to err on the side of caution." He then said the same into the radio in his hand to which he received an acknowledgment from both groups.

Everyone in base watched through the screens as Monk and John entered the room while Ayako and Masako stood at the doorway. The door had long since fallen from its hinges so there was nothing blocking their entrance.

Mai, along with the others, could see the boys' reactions to the chill of the room once they crossed the threshold. She waited with bated breath as they slowly searched the debris-covered space, John holding his holy water and Takigawa gripping his prayer beads.

Luckily, when SPR had first set all their equipment up, they placed a microphone in that room so now they were able to hear what was happening.

_Screeeeeeeeech._

The base members all tensed at the sound, Mai and Yasu covering their ears as well since it was reminiscent of nails on a chalkboard.

Then came the screams.

The group around the monitor all watched as the duo in the active room began saying their own defensive spells, the chants coming through as clear and loud as the disembodied noises.

_"In the beginning was the word-"_

_"Namakuza manda bazara dan-"_

The activity continued to increase in volume along with both men's prayers until Ayako and Masako burst into the haunted room with matching looks of determination.

Silence.

The factory was thick with tension and every person residing within it could feel the oppressive weight bearing down on them. Driving their instincts into overload.

_"That's it?"_

It was Ayako who broke the silence after they had waited a couple of minutes to see if the spirit would continue its assault.

Naru picked up the radio then spoke to the other half of his team. "Ms. Hara, can you sense anything?"

They watched through the small screen as the medium slowly slid her gaze around the room with a glazed over look that told them she was looking at - or for- something that was not within their normal realm of sight.

She was aware of the microphone located in the corner so instead of using the walkie-talkie, she spoke aloud. _"It's like before when I was being blocked, I cannot sense anything more than that the spirit is still located within the building."_

Subtle twitches of his eyebrows and the barely-there downturn at the corner of his mouth indicated to all that knew Naru well enough that he was not pleased with the information.

The boss of SPR waited a few seconds, thoughts swirling through his mind before he responded back to Masako's statement. "Everyone, come back to base. We need to regroup."

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"Well you all heard Naru, let's head back before our not-so-friendly haunt decides to try for round two." Takigawa walked to the room's exit while saying this and after a nod from Masako, John, and Ayako, they too soon followed his lead.

Making their way back through the corridors of the old factory the group of four made small talk but kept a watchful eye out for anything out of the ordinary.

"Is it just me or is the spirit pretty random about who and where it attacks it's victims?" Asked the priestess.

Fingering his rosary in thought, John was the first to respond. "The ghost doesn't seem to have a preference or set pattern which is going to make this pretty tricky."

"If you guys haven't noticed," Monk chimed in, sarcasm lacing his words, "none of the cases we end up taking are ever easy."

Masako was next to join the conversation in her usual soft tone. "Naru is rather selective with which cases he takes. I would think you all would be used to this by now."

The other three mentally sighed at her very true statement. They all could only count on one hand the number of times they'd taken a case over the years and it didn't turn into some dangerous and/or life or death situation. In their minds, the day Naru willingly accepts a less than, in his words, "intriguing" case would be the day Lin comes into the office wearing a rainbow suit and singing Brittany Spears.

In other words...Never. Gunna. Happen.

"Well we can dream can't we?" mumbled Ayako.

Having heard her, Takigawa swung his arm over her shoulder in a joking manner. "Come on you know this job wouldn't be half as fun if we didn't have to save your graying head from a bloodthirsty ghost or two!"

Sharp eyes framed by red bangs were then directed straight into the teasing face of the monk. "What did you just-!"

_BAAANG!_

The echoing but distinctively sharp sound of an explosion directed through the barrel of a gun made all four ghost hunters freeze in their tracks.

Then they ran.

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"Detective!"

Kenshin, Mai, Naru and Lin all turned to the hastily opened doors of SPR's base to find the rookie officer that had tried to send Mai away from the crime scene yesterday when she and Kenshin had arrived.

Stepping forward, Kenshin addressed the uniformed man. "Officer Katsu, is everything alright?"

Katsu schooled his features and stood a little straighter in a show of respect to his superior. "Do you have a moment? We just received a message from headquarters and I think you'll want to hear this in private"

Kenshin slipped back into the role of leader as he answered the man before him. "If it has to do with this case then the SPR team has also been included in the investigation as well so anything that you have to say about it can be discussed in front of them."

"Actually Sir...this is about a different matter. It comes directly from the Chief."

Both Kenshin and Mai paused at that announcement while Naru and Lin turned back to the monitors, uninterested in a conversation that did not provide any new or pertinent information about the ongoing case. Generally, the Chief of Police didn't bother the detective and Mai when they were in the middle of an investigation, especially one of the paranormal kind, so hearing that it came directly from the man himself piqued both their interests.

Nodding to the officer standing at the entrance, Kenshin then turned to face the silent duo. "Excuse me, but I need to speak with my subordinate. Mai, stay here and help them with the investigation while I take care of this."

She made to protest but Kenshin just held up a hand and smirked at her. "Don't complain, besides I always end up telling you everything anyways." and with that, he joined the other officer and they moved to the furthest corner of the base to talk out of earshot.

With a huff Mai spun back around to look at the monitors and follow the rest of SPR's progress back to base all while keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.

"Something doesn't feel right," she mumbled.

Naru was sitting close enough to her that he heard the quiet admission. "Why do you say that?"

Facing the man that used to be her boss, Mai looked directly into his pair of deep indigo eyes, earlier anger and irritation with him forgotten, and took in the curiosity that was barely shining through. "It's just...I can still almost feel the presence, not like when it's inactive, but like it's just hiding and waiting to show up again. Like Masako said, it's all pretty fuzzy but I just get the feeling that it's not done with us yet."

The curiosity that she saw in Naru's eyes turned calculating after having heard her reasoning. She could practically see the thoughts zipping through his mind at light speed but only one was voiced. "How long have you been able to sense spirits at such a high level?"

Now having his undivided attention, Mai internally squirmed under the intense gaze though she refused to let any physical evidence of it show. How much should she tell him? He could probably really help her in controlling her gifts but was she ready to discuss everything yet? And with him of all people? "They just gradually kept getting stronger over time. It has been 2 years since I last saw any of you, you know. A lot has changed since then."

"I can see that." Mai could still see that he wasn't totally satisfied with the answer that he'd been given and that there were quite a few questions still lingering beneath the surface but Naru seem to decide to drop the matter.

For now.

Turning back to face the monitors in front of them, Naru made one last remark, "Make sure you tell us if you feel any changes in the presence you're sensing." and then they were silent once again.

Mai kept her eyes on the blue-eyed man a little longer before she realized that she was staring and tore her gaze back to the screens.

Focusing on the little nagging feeling that she had been getting since the spirit showed up once again, Mai closed her eyes and really concentrated in an attempt to see if maybe she could get a location on the ghost. It had worked for Masako before so why shouldn't she be able to do the same?

The tiny pinprick at the back of her mind very slowly grew stronger with her pushing harder and harder at getting a clearer feeling than just "it was around". Finally, after one last mental push, the feeling flooded through her along with one very important piece of information.

Everything happened within a matter of seconds.

Whipping around till she was facing the two officers that were chatting at the corner of the room, Mai's eyes widened in worry before narrowing at the ever so slow movement that she could see.

Oh hell no.

Both Naru and Lin had turned to look at her when they saw her sharp turn in the opposite direction and watched her intently while also looking in the direction that she was staring. That's when they noticed it as well.

"Kenshin, down!"

Months of working together as partners had his reflexes instantly reacting to Mai's command and he hit the ground in less than a second.

At the same time Mai whipped out what looked to be a police-issued handgun from the back of her pants and under her jacket. Before either Naru or Lin could react to the turn of events Mai quickly took aim and fired off one shot.

Straight at Officer Katsu.

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****

**Another cliffy! I know it's cruel to end there but...eh**

**Also 10 points to anyone that can guess the reference that I mentioned in the story! (I just couldn't help myself)**

**As always, follow, favorite and REVIEW!**

**Till next time!**

**shayrulz**


	6. A Spirit Found

**Edited: 4/7/2020**

**Chapter 6: A Spirit Found**

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Officer Katsu dropped to the ground like a rock, falling forward and hitting headfirst with a loud crack before he went completely still.

Lin was the first to reach Mai and aggressively ripped the weapon from her hands and threw it onto the monitor table before pinning both her arms behind her back, forcing her into submission, while Naru quickly rushed over to where Kenshin and the downed officer were.

"What were you thinking?!" Lin shouted at the petite brunette held tightly within his grasp.

Frustration and impatience leaking heavily into her words, Mai shouted back just as loud. "We don't have time for this! Get John in here now!" Her words caused Lin to pause. She'd just shot the man, who was surely dead or dying, why was John required?

While all this was going on no one noticed Katsu's right hand twitch slightly.

That is until his body started minutely convulsing.

"Kenshin hold him down!" Mai yelled from within her human restraints.

Moving fast, the detective grabbed both of the officer's arms and, after reaching into his back pocket, cuffed the man's hands together before flipping the twitching body over.

By this point, Naru had reached them and was kneeling on the cold cement floor alongside Kenshin when a little flash of silver caught his eye in the same area that the bullet should have penetrated the officer's torso. That and the noticeable lack of blood staining the man's clothes from a surely fatal, if not severe, injury momentarily had the young genius pause before Kenshin snapped him out of it.

"Grab his legs and hold them down, we can't have him injuring himself more!"

The young man reacted immediately to the severity in the detective's voice, pinning down the officer's limbs before looking up from his task and finally observing the silver object that had caught his attention earlier. It was shaped similar to a bullet but the back end had wings similar to what you'd find protruding from the butt of an arrow. The little piece of metal also seemed to be emitting a noise that was dulled by all the shouting going on throughout the room and a blue light seemed to be flashing at the tip at regular intervals.

At that moment the rest of the SPR team burst into the base wearing identical looks of worry and fear. Upon seeing the scene before them, what with Mai being restrained by an irate but quizzical looking Lin and Naru assisting Kenshin in holding down an officer that was jerking around on the floor, confusion also leaked into their expressions.

Having heard the base doors slam open, Mai's head whipped around to meet the gazes of the new arrivals till she settled on the blonde priest. "John, you need to exorcise Katsu now! The shocks will only last for so long!"

Still not completely sure as to what was happening but hearing the urgent tone to her words the Australian ran over to the men on the floor, removing his holy water and the travel-sized bible from his pockets before he began his ritual.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God..."

Body still convulsing, Katsu's head snapped up to look straight at John as soon as he began speaking. The two men holding him down shared a glance that lasted a split second before concentrating back on their tasks.

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it..." John continued without pause while grasping his bottle of holy water and splashing it onto the officer's body.

Katsu's face, still staring straight at John, twisted with rage when the blessed water came in contact with his skin but that was all he could manage since his body was still being affected by the small piece of metal sticking out of his chest.

The recently arrived members of the ghost hunting team where at a loss for what was going on so when they finally spotted Yasu with a shocked but calculating look on his face they all rushed over to get some answers. Ayako was the first to reach the younger man. "What the hell is going on?!"

Not turning from the scene before him, Yasu answered without his normal confidence and a hint of disbelief. "We were watching the monitors when Officer Katsu came in needing to speak with the detective. Then out of nowhere Mai just shouts for the detective to duck and whips that out," here he pointed to the discarded weapon lying innocently on the table, "and shoots it straight at the officer."

Stunned looks now graced the faces of Takigawa, Ayako, and Masako. Sure they knew that Mai had done some rash things before when she was still working for SPR but to pull a gun on someone and actually shoot them?

"Why would she..." Takigawa trailed off, voicing the question that they were all thinking.

The group was brought back to the situation at hand when a distinctly non-human scream sprang from the restrained officer's lips.

Closing his eyes, John finished his exorcism, "In principo." With a final sprinkle of water onto Katsu the scream came to an abrupt stop and the once struggling body fell limp onto the floor. Both Masako and Mai watched as a ghostly figure rose from the man's body and made a swift exit through the back wall, causing the girls to look at each other with equally surprised faces.

Reacting not a moment later, Kenshin swiftly ripped the metal device from Katsu's chest, dropping it to the floor, and sat back on his heels, still eyeing the now still body warily. Naru's deep blue eyes followed the detective's movements and waited as well to observe if the man would be moving any time soon and to catch his breath a little.

"Lin, the spirit's gone so let me go!"

The frustrated statement echoed throughout the now quiet room and had Naru, Kenshin, and John, along with the rest of SPR, turning away from the officer and focusing in on an irritated Mai and now stoic Lin.

Having regained his calm exterior, Kenshin addressed the tall Chinese man. "Mr. Koujo you may release Mai, she's not done anything wrong."

Hesitantly, Lin released the young brunette from his grasp which she immediately took advantage of and rushed over to where Kenshin was still crouched on the floor next to Officer Katsu, worry etched on her features. "You alright Kenshin?"

The detective let a small smile grace his lips and nodded. "I'm fine, Mai."

Nodding that she understood, Mai then turned her attention to the man lying completely still on the floor. Leaning over Katsu, she inspected the area where the piece of metal was pulled from his chest and noted the small circle of charred cloth and angry flesh that was left behind. Raising her hand to his neck, she used her middle and pointer fingers to check his pulse.

During all this Naru kept close watch of her movements. By now he had a pretty good idea as to what type of weapon she'd used on the man but from the way she handled it, to the quick and accurate shooting of it, Naru could safely deduce that she was very comfortable with the weapon in her hands.

And that bothered him.

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Eventually, the shock of the events wore off everyone and Ayako quickly stalked her way over to the unconscious man and provided them with a professional evaluation.

The officer seemed to be sporting a mild concussion along with a small cut on his forehead - which was quickly bandaged - and burn marks where the projectile had made contact.

Takigawa at some point had moved Katsu to the sole couch that the old cement room had to offer in an attempt to make him comfortable. Once that had been taken care of, all eyes turned to the small brunette standing next to the detective.

"What was that all about Mai? We suddenly hear a gun go off and once we arrive we're told that you shot someone! You didn't even hesitate!" Takigawa's face was stern but an underlying hint of worry could be seen as well.

"He was reaching for Kenshin's gun, I didn't have time to hesitate! Plus it's a taser, not a gun, so there was nothing to worry about." Mai shot back in her usual stubborn tone.

"Why are you carrying that around with you in the first place - better yet - where the heck did you even get it? That's not something you can just pick up in a store or order online!" the monk responded.

"That would be me." All eyes in the room turned to Kenshin, some in disbelief and others in curiosity. "She asked to borrow it this morning and, knowing her track record, I allowed it."

Seeing the outrage and concern flash across several of SPR's member's faces, Mai quickly interjected before anyone else could speak up. "It's not like I'd never used one before so there wasn't any harm in him giving it to me. Kenshin personally trained me in how to handle it so there was nothing to worry about." Mai spoke with an even and professional tone that only hinted at the slight annoyance she was experiencing.

"While I'm sure Detective Noboru trusts that you know what you're doing, we had no prior knowledge so the precautions we took were completely reasonable." Naru replied. "If there are any other surprises then it would be best that you tell us now so this doesn't happen again." He ended by staring directly into Mai's brown eyes with an intensity that caused her to deflate a little and a small amount of guilt to settle in her stomach.

Mai's face took on a much softer quality at the slight reprimand, easing the professional facade that she had been channeling. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys sooner...really, I am. It's just..." taking a moment to put together what she wanted to say, Mai met the eyes of all the SPR members, "I'm not used to working with a group of people that don't know about these things so I guess it just slipped my mind."

The anger that had been radiating from some of the people in the room all but vanished after that. Everyone, for the most part, just looked tired.

Running a hand through her hair, Ayako spoke up. "Don't worry about it Mai, you just had us worried is all. I mean, we heard that thing go off halfway across the building and then we burst in here to see you being restrained with something that that looks exactly like a real gun lying on the table next to you. What were we supposed to think?"

Dropping her eyes to the cement floor, Mai replied in a clear voice with a touch of remorse. "I know, I'm sorry."

Kenshin just laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. He then walked towards the monitors and grabbed the weapon, tucking it into the back of his trousers, before addressing the room. "The taser is a special issue for our department and are intentionally meant to look and feel as much like a real gun as possible. It's a new technology that is being developed and we were chosen to test run them."

Naru had a calculating look in his eyes as he spoke. "A less lethal, but just as effective, way of handling difficult situations."

Kenshin nodded his head in agreement. "Sometimes all you need is the fear of death to bring someone down and if that isn't enough, well, they're not completely harmless."

The tense atmosphere lasted for a couple more seconds until Masako broke it. "If I may, I believe Mai and I have something to say that might interest you."

Everyone's attention shifted to the young medium and the brunette that walked up to her while nodding her head in agreement. "Masako's right, we saw it when John exorcised the ghost from Officer Katsu."

Naru's inquiring eyes glanced between both girls while he waited for them to continue. "Exactly," Masako continued, "when the spirit let the officer's body we got a good look at her."

"Wait, wait, wait...her?" questioned Takigawa.

Both girls nodded then Masako replied. "Yes. She appeared to be in her 30's and her body and clothes appeared to be covered in soot and burns."

Lin moved back into his seat at the monitors then opened his laptop while everyone else let the information sink in.

"So our spirit's a female." Naru had a distant look in his eyes that he always got when he was deep in thought.

Ayako crossed her arms and shifted so her body was mostly supported by her right leg. "So instead of a violent scumbag of a boss haunting the building, we've got a disgruntled and abused worker. Great."

It was at this moment that a soft grunt came from the couch. All eyes went to the slowly shifting form of the officer and Kenshin made his way over to the young man then knelt down next to the couch. "Katsu, how are you feeling?"

Said officer gradually opened his eyes and slide them in the direction of his superior. "Wha...what's going on? Where am I?"

Keeping his face blank, Kenshin responded to the confused man. "You're in SPR's base."

Katsu slowly shifted so his back was propped up against the armrest and scanned the room with tired eyes. "What happened? How'd I end up here?"

"We found you collapsed outside the room and brought you in here to get you checked out. Seems you fell head first judging by the scrape on your forehead and the slight concussion," replied Kenshin.

The members of the ghost hunting group were confused by the detective's twisting of the truth. Surely if they employed Mai on a regular basis the police force had to be aware of the supernatural.

"Officer," Hearing his title, Katsu focused once again on the detective in front of him, "what were you doing all the way on this side of the building? I told everyone to either stay at the crime scene or monitor the perimeter." Kenshin asked, tone probing but not harsh.

"Oh, right!" Katsu sat up a little straighter as he addressed Kenshin. "Cheif Yamauchi called and told me that they found some old records in one of the storage units that might pertain to the investigation. He said that some had to do with the businesses that operated around the time the factory was built."

The news that new information regarding the building had been found gave the group a little hope that they might actually be able to start making some progress in their investigation.

"Officer Tanaka is there with a team and they're going through everything now." He finished.

"Right." Nodded Kenshin before he turned to face Naru. "If you like, I can get a couple of your workers clearance to go through the files as well. Having experience with this kind of thing, you all will know what to look for."

Naru inclined his head in agreement with the offer. "That would be appreciated. Yasu, Ms. Matsuzaki," hearing their names both investigators locked eyes with their boss, "I want you both to go and help the police sift through the records. Look for anything that has to do with any employees that used to work here and cross-reference them with any missing persons filed at that time."

"You got it!" Smiled the college student as he gave Naru a halfhearted salute. Ayako just huffed and mumbled under her breathe about ridiculous amounts of reading and paper cuts but thought better than to voice her complaints to Naru.

Amused by the two members' reactions, Kenshin's lips tilted upward. "I have to stay here to head the investigation but I'll send Mai with you since, besides Ms. Hara, she's the only other person that knows what our ghostly friend looks like. Plus, she knows everyone so you shouldn't have any trouble from the team already there."

Mai just sighed at the declaration but she couldn't fault Kenshin for choosing her either, even if the idea of going through an entire storage unit worth of documents made her head hurt.

Kenshin shot a teasing smile at the girl's displeasure. "I'll have one of the officers here give you guys a lift to the location."

Yasu, seeing his two partners lack of enthusiasm, walked up behind both women then grabbed each of them by their shoulders and pulled them towards him with a mischievous glint in his glasses covered gaze. "Come on, it'll be fun! We'll get to spend a couple of hours together with all the information we could ever ask for! What more could you want?"

Both women shot looks at each of their superiors and while Naru completely ignored Ayako's frustration Kenshin let a small chuckle slip past his lips at the look on Mai's face that practically screamed 'Kill me now'.

Takigawa also laughed at their plight while John had a nervous smile settled on his face.

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Watching the cop car pull away from them, Mai, Ayako, and Yasu turned around until they were face to face with a large white two-story building that had no windows and the only entrance they could find was the one before them.

"Come on guys, I'll show you the way." Mai prompted while waving her hand in a follow-me gesture.

The other two easily fell in step behind her and stopped once they finally reached the door. They watched as Mai pulled a small I.D. card from her pocket and swiped it through the scanner attached to the door handle. They all heard the audible click of the lock opening before the young brunette pushed the thick metal door inward.

Once they had all stepped inside, the door automatically shut behind them causing both Ayako and Yasu to jump while Mai smiled in amusement at their reaction, causing the two to glare at her.

The group walked for a little bit before they reached another door that they could hear voices coming from. Swiping her card once more, Mai pushed open the door and they were met with the sight of a group of about five officers sitting around and reading through a massive amount of paper and boxes that they could see scattered throughout the room.

Having heard the three enter, all the officer's heads and eyes snapped up to look at the new arrivals.

"Hey everyone!" waved Mai as she smiled at the familiar faces.

The young psychic was met with equal enthusiasm as the room's occupants greeted her back.

"Hey Mai! I thought Kenshin was giving you a little time off?" a gravelly voice asked from the right side of the room. The SPR members, having no idea who these people were, looked in its direction and found a large muscular man with brown dreadlocks, half of them pulled into a ponytail at the back of his head, and bright green eyes that typically weren't found in those of Japanese descent.

While he made quite the intimidating image, the happy smile that he was directing at the youngest member of the trio at the door softened his otherwise rough appearance.

"Masaru!" Skipping over to the man, Mai latched onto his shoulders in a hug as he lifted the girl from the ground in his own hug before setting her back down.

Spinning so her back was now facing the large man, Mai, still with a large smile on her face, introduced her former coworkers to the officer. "Guys I'd like you to meet Officer Masaru Tanaka. He's part of Kenshin's team and is an amazing martial artist!"

Stepping around the happy brunette, Masaru grabbed the rim of his police hat and bowed his head in greeting. "Nice to meet you. I've heard quite a lot about your group from the munchkin," he said while using his free hand to point back at the now pouting girl with his thumb.

"I'm never going to get you to not call me that am I?" she grumbled.

"Nope!" was his cheerful reply.

Both Yasu and Ayako chuckled at the teasing before greeting the officer. Ayako was first to speak up. "Nice to meet you as well, I'm Ayako Matsuzaki," she said giving a small bow while Yasu did the same.

"Great to meet you too! I'm Yasuhara Osamu." A blinding smile was his greeting to which Masaru just raised an eyebrow before addressing Mai.

"So you guys are experts at this stuff right? Cuz' we've got a lot of files to go through and not a clear picture as to what we're looking for."

She nodded in agreement. "We have a pretty good idea as to what we need to find."

"Well then," spoke Yasu with a smile as he gazed upon the mountains of boxes that they needed to get through, "let's get started, shall we?"

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It would be four hours, five rounds of tea and coffee, courtesy of Mai, and dozens of boxes later when the researchers finally caught a break.

"Hey, guys I think I found something!" Ayako shouted so as to break the room's occupants out of their concentration and direct their focus onto her. She held up a thick stack of papers that had yellowed with age but were still legible.

Masaru scooted his chair closer to the redhead, much to her enjoyment, while Mai and Yasu came to stand behind her so they could look at the documents as well.

Masaru motioned for the officers with him to pay attention as well since the information might help them to recognize something they had already read.

Seeing that she now had everyone's eyes on her, Ayako began to read to the large group the contents of the pages. "Ok, so I found a box full of old police reports from the 1920's and after going through it all I found these." Here she patted the documents with the back of her left hand. "They're old complaints and tips."

"Did you find any about possible abuse?" Yasu questioned the redhead.

Placing the pages on the table in front of her she let out a frustrated sigh. "Not a lot, no, but there were a couple."

"Makes sense," added Masaru, "women's rights weren't really around back then so most women didn't report anything that happened at home or work."

Mai's face drew into a sympathetic frown with a hint of anger and raised her right hand up to her mouth while her left arm hugged herself across her torso. "That's horrible!"

Masaru gave her a small, understanding smile. "Unfortunately those were the times."

Ayako smiled softly at the kind-hearted girl before continuing. "I remembered Yasu saying that the factory opened in 1923 and was operational for six years before it burnt down in 1929 and these," here she took the documents that were held in her hand and spread them across the table in front of her, "are the only abuse reports or tips that were reported to the police that I could find."

There were a total of 23 pages laid out before the gathered group. Each slip of paper contained a single reported case. Yasu picked up one of them and looked it over with a serious expression. "There doesn't seem to be much information on these but they're got the basics: Name, Date, and Location."

Masaru interjected here. "Back in the day, most reports like this were followed up with a visit to the location rarely was investigated any further."

While they continued to talk, Yasu had grabbed more of the reports and began looking through them. Having flipped through most of them already he suddenly paused on one document.

Mai, having noticed the lack of movement coming from the college student, shot him a curious look. "Yasu? What is it?"

The question caught the attention of both Ayako and Masaru.

Yasu didn't answer for a few minutes and they could practically see the cogs turning as he gazed at the paper held in his grasp. "It's just...give me a second."

Still holding the report, the young man made his way over to a group of boxes that he had already looked through previously and began searching through them again. For what exactly, only he knew.

After a little bit, he let out a small triumphant sound and produced a slim manila folder from the depths of one of the boxes. Quickly walking over to the table where everyone was gathered, he placed the report to the left of him and opened the folder to the right of it. His eyes slid back and forth between the two, his right hand skimming over the contents of the folder until it finally stopped and a bright smile made its way onto his face.

"I knew that sounded familiar!"

The other three at the table were curious as to what the college student had found but waited patiently as he grabbed both documents and made his way back to them. "It's the name of the person who called in the tip. I was positive that I had read it somewhere and I was right!"

Now standing between Ayako and Masaru, Yasu laid the two documents side by side. "Look here." He pointed at the papers contained in the folder he had just found. "Earlier I had found a whole box full of missing person reports and if you look at the date..." Here he moved his index finger till it was hovering above the top right corner of the page. Everyone followed the movement with their eyes before realization struck them. "That's the year that the factory burnt down!" Exclaimed Mai.

Yasu nodded. "Correct! Based on the research that I did for Naru before, the missing person report seems to have been filed a week after the fire too."

"I'll call the precinct and have them look in the records for anyone by this name," Masaru added. "Hopefully they'll be able to come up with something."

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Back at the factory, Naru was sitting at the desk, surrounded by multiple documents that described the history of the building and the area it resided in. Lin was still typing away on his laptop while wearing headphones so he could catch any sound that may come through the speakers.

Takigawa, Masako, and John had returned to the base from their walk-through a half hour ago and were gathered by the couch.

Besides Lin's typing, the base was relatively quiet which is why when the doors to the room slammed opened it echoed loudly throughout the room.

"Did you miss me?" Asked the jolly voice of Yasu, his trademark smile plastered on his face.

"You wish, shounen." The monk teased with a smirk.

"Jerk." Yasu pouted but his eyes still maintained an amused glint.

Turning in his chair, Naru joined the conversation. "Did you find anything useful?"

By this point, Ayako, Kenshin, and Mai had entered the room and settled next to the three spiritualists by the couch. "Yup!" Was the cheery reply from the college student.

Naru settled back into his chair and threaded his fingers together giving his full attention to the bespectacled man - a clear sign to continue talking - along with the rest of SPR that had stayed behind.

Kenshin walked forward and placed a file box that he had carried into the room onto the arm of the couch before taking out a stack of papers. "We believe we know whose spirit may be haunting the building." He then strolled over to Naru and handed over the files. "Her name is Usagi Ando."

Naru took the files and began scanning through them while Yasu began relaying the information that they had gathered. "Usagi was married to a Daisuke Ando and they had three children together, one boy and two girls. The father worked at a local meat packing house along with their son. While we were at the storage unit we came across a box full of employment records and that's when we found out that Usagi was one of the workers at this factory."

Everyone's eyes were glued to the young man as he summarized what they'd found out for them. Naru was splitting his attention between reading through the documents that had been handed to him and listening to Yasu's explanation. Here, Ayako added in her own contribution. "One of the boxes contained old filed reports and tips submitted to the police from back then. I found quite a few had the woman's name on them and the dates on the documents seem to match the same timeframe that the factory was operational."

The monk snickered quietly behind his hand while an amused grin grew on his face. "So you can be useful!"

That comment earned him a whack to the back of his head with a very familiar purse.

The sound of paper smacking onto a flat surface had all the laughter quickly dying out as they all slowly turned to face an annoyed Naru. "Yasu, continue."

A smile was still leftover from then two adult's actions but he quickly sobered. "Right. The earliest records we could find where from two years after the factory opened. Usagi seemed to have submitted at least one complaint a year about the conditions that the workers were forced to work in. They ranged all the way from physical to mental abuse and health hazards. Apparently, the workers were also being used as Mr. Hiroshi's personal maids as well." He said the last part with distaste until evening out his tone and continuing. "Based on what I read, it seemed that the reports were looked into the first couple times but after that, they were pretty much ignored." Yasu trailed off.

"That's horrible," John commented, a small frown on his lips and his sky blue eyes shined with the compassion he was well known for.

"Morals and equality were not a priority back then. The factory's owner probably covered all the incidents up by accusing Mrs. Usagi of lying or paying the officers off." Naru responded, his eyes never leaving the papers he was scanning.

Masako, having sat quietly until now, lowered her sleeve from her mouth before voicing her opinion. "Even if we know the spirit lingering here, it still does not tell us why she's attacking the victims."

"Maybe it's revenge towards Hiroshi. Based on what we've already learned he seemed to make all the girls that worked here miserable. We can probably assume that he made life extra hard for her since she filed those complaints to the police." Takigawa theorized.

Kenshin had a look of confusion settled on his features. "That may be true but the victims were both male and female. If she was only fixated on the men why would she be attacking the girls too?"

"That's a good point." Naru agreed, finally letting his eyes leave the pages within his grasp. "She doesn't seem to discriminate against who she assaults so there has to be a reason." His eyes weren't focused on anyone or anything, a telling sign that he was deep in thought. "The females were never attacked when they were alone. The only time that they were was when a male was present with them...but why." His brows furrowed ever so slightly, the only sign of his puzzlement.

"What is this, guilt by association?" Mai offhandedly commented, crossing her arms with a huff.

Lin, Kenshin, and Naru all stopped what they were doing and looked up at Mai with slightly widened eyes. "What? Why are you guys staring at me like that? Kenshin?" The confused brunette asked, her head swiveling between the three.

"Guilt by association," Lin said breaking the sudden silence, "That would make a lot of sense."

"Agreed." Spoke Naru. "We've been stuck on thinking that she wouldn't harm the females since she tried to protect and help them when she was still alive but if that were the case none of the female victims that entered here would ever have been injured or killed in the first place."

"So there's some kind of reasoning behind her actions then...her co-workers would have had to have done something to her for her to change her views in such a way," Kenshin added.

Mai, after getting over the confusion listened intently to them as they bounced ideas off each other. "Remember how in the reports for the fire they said that the only victim was the factory's owner?" The three men along with everyone else looked to the high school student.

"Yes we do, why?" Naru questioned.

"Well, we can pretty much assume that she died here as well but, if that's the case, why didn't anyone report her as missing?" Mai asked looking straight at the young company owner. "I mean sure, some employment records were destroyed, but someone at the factory had to have known her and recognized that she was gone after the fire. Her family didn't report anything either. Why?" She finished, shifting her feet in thought.

"She probably tried to get the other girls to write complaints to police as well and, if she filed hers on a yearly basis, then she probably asked the women regularly too. Plus, with the extra attention she most likely received from Hiroshi then the workers definitely knew who she was." Yasu theorized, looking just as thoughtful as everyone else.

"Maybe they began to ignore her and her attempts to rally them and she saw it as a betrayal?" John interjected. "She could have seen the girls as siding with Mr. Hiroshi.

With one hand held against his chin, Naru's deep blue eyes gained a spark of clarity. Having seen this, Takigawa addressed the young man. "What is it, Naru?"

At those words, everyone once again focused on the young boss. "I'm not certain, I need to check something first before I can be sure." Once he finished speaking, Naru stood from his chair then tugged on this his coat. "Everyone but John, stay here. Also, Mai..."

Having heard her name coming from her once boss, said young woman watched him with cautious eyes. You could never tell what would come next when it came from Naru. _'Though, nine times out of ten, it was always an insu-'_

"I'd like to ask that you accompany us. You seem to be the most in-tune with the spirit and you may pick up on something we might miss."

"...Huh?"

Mai could tell that her inner confusion and surprise were showing on her face from the slight upward twitch of a certain narcissist's lips. Schooling her face into a professional facade (that was completely ruined by her embarrassed blushing), Mai responded. "I - uh- sure, I mean, yeah no problem."

_'Did he just compliment me?'_

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"Aw, they're bonding!" Yasu whispered to the rest of the SPR gang not actively participating in the current conversation. Ayako, John, Takigawa, and he were standing far enough away from the four by the monitors that they didn't have to worry about being overheard.

"It's definitely nice not seeing them arguing anymore." John cheerily added.

"That seems to be all they've been doing since Mai showed up with tall dark and handsome over there." Ayako pointed out.

"Oh, is someone jealous?" Monk teased. "Our Mai has not one but two good looking men after her affections now while, as the years go by, you're still all alone."

"Did you just call me unlikable AND old?!"

"Well I didn't say you were getting any younger..." he mumbled.

"You lousy monk! How about I remove your hair and make you look appropriate for your title! I'm sure the girls will absolutely adore you then!"

"Aw, our little girl is growing up!" Yasu quietly said and he wiped away a single crocodile tear, completely ignoring the arguing duo behind him. "Wait, Mai doesn't have any parents...does this mean we get to give her date "The Talk" when he picks her up?" He asked, giving voice to his thoughts and quirking his head to the right.

At this, they all stopped for a moment and imagined trying to have "The Talk" with either of Mai's "suitors".

An involuntary shiver ran down all their backs.

While they enjoyed causing trouble and teasing every now and then, especially when it involved Mai, they preferred staying alive thank you very much. A choice between dealing with their boss who only needed to glare to frighten men or the one who had a license to kill and the gun to prove it was not an appealing thought.

Kenshin had noticed the sudden stop in movement coming from their group and watched in confusion as the four donned expressions of deep thought before all their faces simultaneously drained of color. He quickly scanned the room for any threats, taking note of the relaxed state that both Masako and Mai were in, and then looked back at the still slightly pale quartet. Lifting a single black eyebrow, the detective just shook his head while turning his attention back to Naru and Mai. _'Ghost hunters...'_

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**Done!**

**I really love getting you guys' feedback, constructive criticism is also welcome, so please leave a review and let me know your thoughts on the story so far!**

**Till next time!**

**shayrulz**


	7. Let Burned Souls Rest

**Edited: 4/16/20**

**Chapter 7: Let Burned Souls Rest**

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"Ow...my head." Lifting herself up from the ground Mai attempted to blink away the fuzziness from her vision. Letting her eyes roam across her surroundings, she noticed a key difference.  
 ****

Through the haze clouding her eyes she could make out walls that, she knew as gray and covered in ominous marks, were now a generic tan. The room was also much smaller than the one that she, John, and Naru had just entered. A large wooden desk was situated in the far-left corner with an old looking wall lamp connected to a series of pipes casting a dull yellow light onto every surface it touched. Next to the door, she also saw a small table with a brightly lit kerosene lamp. The mixture of old and new giving the room a very vintage feel.

With her sight clear and headache receded, Mai then spotted the middle-aged man sitting in a plush leather chair at the desk, signing and reading a small stack of documents. Curious, she walked up to and behind the balding man to get a glimpse at what he was working on. Neat piles of bills, contracts, and letters were what greeted her and they were all addressed to one Gorou Hiroshi.

After discovering that key piece of information Mai took a couple of steps back from the late factory owner to really get a good look at him. He seemed to be in his mid-40's to early 50's with dark brown hair speckled with gray. Frown lines littered his slightly tanned face giving him a distinctly unfriendly vibe while relatively small limbs, when compared to the man's stomach, were a good indicator of heavy drinking. Though the multiple beer bottles haphazardly placed throughout the room certainly tipped her off too.

Mai watched as Gorou threw back one of the alcoholic beverages before realizing that it was empty. A scowl stretched across his face, further accenting the ever-deepening wrinkles. "Usagi! Get in here, now!"

Mai jumped slightly at the unexpected shout from the man but instantly recognized the name he spat out. Hearing the twist of a door handle, she spun in place and watched as the woman from the files they'd been pouring overcame walking through the threshold. She wore a grass green dress that completely covered her upper torso and fell to about mid-calf. The long sleeves of the outfit were rolled up to her elbows and her black and gray-streaked hair was pulled up in a tight bun.

Her most striking feature, however, was the pair of sharp brown eyes that screamed of defiance and loathing for the man before her. While the rest of her face seemed to be schooled into a mask of indifference, her eyes gave away her true feelings.

Having either not noticed or ignored the look being shot at him, Gorou leaned back in his chair while lifting the empty bottle in Usagi's direction. "I'm out of beer, bring me a new pack from storage." The slight slur to his words didn't go unnoticed by Mai or Usagi.

In the most neutral tone the woman could probably muster, Usagi replied to her boss. "The pack I brought you earlier was the last one. You'll need to order more, they'll most likely be here by the end of the week, sir."

Mai watched as Gorou's smug, self-important countenance dropped and was quickly replaced with a growing ire that was, more than likely, being fueled somewhat by the alcohol in his system. Slamming the bottle onto the top of the desk, he leaned forward in a menacing way. "What do you mean we're out? We just got a delivery Monday!" He growled at the now tense woman.

Mai watched the rising tension between the two and paid close attention to their conversation. It was a calendar, though, that distracted her from the past event unfolding before her. Following the rows of crossed out days until she reached the current date her mind halted in realization.

June 17th, 1929. The day Atsuko Factory burned.

Mai was brought back to the present in time to hear Usagi's reply. "Yes we did but you finished off the last of it today...sir." Even while slightly drunk, Gorou was able to pick up on the slight annoyance that leaked through her words.

Standing from his leather chair, Gorou aggressively slammed his hands onto the desk's surface. "Do NOT get an attitude with me woman! You forget who it is who signs your paycheck and who can just as easily take it away from you!" His face contorted into an ugly snarl and mud-brown eyes glared at the defiant woman before him.

Just by watching Usagi's body language, the narrowing of her eyes and clenching of her fists, Mai could tell that she wasn't going to take the insults lying down. Barely a second passed before her assumptions were proven right.

"You arrogant, insufferable drunk..." Usagi all but growled at her employer, "I've put up with you and your insults for six years! I signed on to work here as a seamstress, not your personal maid!"

Gorou's eyes had widened in shock, probably never having been yelled at before, let alone by a female. The shock soon left his features though and an unbridled rage seemed to overcome him. He quickly made his way around his desk and walked straight up to Usagi before snatching her wrist, swinging her against the wall and next to the small table by the door then slamming his office door shut.

Mai gasped at the man's actions and could feel every fiber in her body urging her to go help the woman lying on the hard floor. Fighting against her natural instincts, she stayed firmly planted in her spot, knowing what she was seeing were past events and her rushing over would do nothing to change it. It was times like these that Mai truly resented the gifts she'd been given.

By this time, Usagi had risen to her feet once more and Gorou was moving to stand in front of her. The pure loathing coming from the glare the woman directed at the man was enough to send chills down Mai's spine but, at the same time, she could also see a hint of uncertainty and fear.

"You think you can jus' backtalk meh an' get away with it? HUH!" The more Gorou was fueled by his temper the more pronounced his drunkenly slurred words became. Faster than she most likely expected, Usagi's wrists were snatched up by callused hands and restrained against the wall.

Mai watched with clenched fists as the woman struggled and flailed in an attempt to free herself from her looming boss. Her once unwavering gaze now clouded with fear. She noticed Usagi take a deep breath of air before one word, tinted with fright, slipped through her lips. "HELP!"

Gorou flinched at the sudden scream before pulling Usagi towards him them slamming her against the wall, knocking the breath from the woman's lungs. "Shut up!"

Having not anticipated the rough treatment, Usagi slid down the wall in a pile of limbs but ended up bumping into the already swaying table next to the door. The little nudge was all it took to topple the furniture piece, causing the table to smack into, and break, one of the dull gray pipes that were attached to the wall. The kerosene lamp also came crashing to the ground before the flame spread and quickly ignited the now free oil that spilled from its broken container.

Gorou made a hasty retreat once he noticed the new puddle of flames occupying his office. "Wha' have you done, you bitch!"

A low groan of pain could be heard coming from Usagi as she slowly regained her bearings. Not long after, Mai watched as she finally registered the slowly expanding circle of fire in front of her. Scrambling backward, Usagi stood from her slumped position and squeezed as close to the wall as she could. "Wha-"

"Don't stand there like a fool! Go get HELP!"

Mai, even though she knew it couldn't harm her, instinctively backed away from the burning puddle of kerosene. It was spreading towards the opposite wall in such a way that Gorou was now blocked from the doorway so that only Usagi was capable of escaping. The table that had once supported the lamp had caught fire and a loose piece of wallpaper was beginning to combust as well. Mai could tell that Usagi hadn't fully recovered from her collision with the wall but fight or flight instincts were starting to set in, causing her to clumsily push herself up off the floor and jerkily scramble towards the exit.

It was at this moment that Mai picked up a scent similar to rotten eggs. A scent that was only getting stronger by the second.

Mai whipped her head around trying to locate the source until her eyes finally located the slight haze coming from the dislodged wall pipe on the other side of the room. The same side that the flames were spreading to. Quickly.

Usagi seemed to have realized this as well since she paused in the archway, letting her eyes flicker between the broken piping and the glowing flames.

"Wha' hell are you doin' you useless bitch?! GO GET HELP!" Gorou roared at her hesitation.

Mai watched as Usagi's whole body froze for a split second, an emotion she couldn't quite catch flickering across her features before she seemed to come to a decision. Slowly, she lifted her now determined gaze from the fire to her boss, clenching her fists till her knuckles were white.

"Screw. You."

Both Mai and Gorou stared at the woman in shock as she rushed out of the room and slammed the door shut behind her. An audible "click" echoing around the room.

"She-she left him...to burn." Mai quickly tried to process the actions of the woman but she stayed frozen in her spot, still staring at the now-closed door.

"Wha' do you think you're doin'?! GET ME OUT OF HERE! USAGI!" Snapping out of her shock, Mai brought her attention back to the only other occupant of the now sweltering office. Gorou was red in the face with anger and panic. The adrenaline from the rising severity of his situation seemed to be sobering him up rather quickly as he ran to the wall opposite to where the pipes were located and starting banging and yelling for help.

Mai, once she got her thought processes back up to speed, now had one major question running through her mind. Why wasn't anyone coming for him?

By now, the flames had reached the wall and it was only a matter of time till it caused an explosion. Even with years of experiencing these visions from the past, Mai still could not wake herself or leave until the dream had run its course. Over the years, and especially now that she was working with the police, she'd seen many ways in which people had died. When Naru and the gang were still around she was able to deal with it since they gave her comfort but once that support system was gone things quickly started spiraling downward. Eventually, she got the help she needed but it wasn't easy. Watching someone being killed wasn't, and never would be, easy for her and she was not keen on adding death via gas explosion to that list either.

Even though she knew it was useless, Mai still tried to will herself out of the ticking time-bomb of a room but nothing seemed to work. She closed her eyes right as she caught the first sparks of the gas igniting, trying to drown out the yells and inevitable screams from Gorou. Right as she started to feel the heat of the flames rushing for her, two appendages roughly shoved her backward and into a dark tunnel.

When she finally landed, Mai opened her eyes to find herself sprawled across the floor of an unfamiliar hallway. It wasn't until the thundering boom of an explosion shook the building that she realized she was still in the same dream. Alarms bells rang throughout the structure and, pretty soon, there was a flood of women rushing past and through her (the last one still kinda freaked her out, even now).

Mai quickly lifted herself up from the floor before catching sight of a familiar green dress rushing along with the crowd. Without even thinking, Mai jogged behind Usagi and did her best not to lose sight of the woman.

The further they ran, the more crowded the factory seemed to get. Females of all ages were panicking and shoving each other out of the way in order to get to the exit faster. It was during such an action that another worker slammed into Usagi, knocking the woman to the ground without a second glance. Mai watched in horror as she tried pushing herself up but was pushed back down every time by people either bumping into her or just running her over.

Mai could do nothing but watch as Usagi was trampled by the hysterical masses that were fleeing from the ever-encroaching flames. Even though the woman had practically guaranteed the death of Gorou, no one deserved to be treated in such a way.

The last of the crowd was now making their way through the hallway when a wooden support beam covered in flames came crashing through the ceiling right behind them. Screams erupted all around as bodies sprinted past Mai and the prone form of Usagi. Mai saw Usagi's eyes widen in fear as the fire behind her began inching its way towards her. "Help! Help me, please!"

Her cries fell on deaf ears as the last of the workers sped past without even so much as a glance in her direction. Not being able to hold herself back any longer, Mai soon found herself kneeling beside the woman and attempting to coax her into moving away from the danger. She knew it was a fruitless effort, Usagi died in this building decades ago. All Mai was witnessing was a long-forgotten echo of the past but, as always, the realness of the vision had her acting against the logical part of her that knew there was nothing she could do. She could only observe the woman as she desperately tried to crawl away from the scorching heat. A couple of fingers were bent at odd angles along with the lower half of her left leg, no doubt the results of being repeatedly stepped on.

A whimper of pain could be heard coming from Usagi as she forced her battered body to move. "Help! Help me! Please...!" Tears were now rolling down her cheeks.

Mai felt her own tears spring forth at the display as her right hand came up to her mouth in an attempt to muffle her choked sobs. She could already tell where this was headed and had no desire to watch the woman be slowly burned alive. No matter Usagi's actions, this was not a fate Mai would wish on anyone.

Similar to the moment before Gorou was killed in the explosion, Mai was suddenly gripped from behind and pulled away from the horrible scene and into darkness once more.

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Mai sat up with a jolt, staring straight ahead but not focusing on anything until someone moved into her line of sight and started speaking to her.

"Mai? _Mai?_ Hey, you back with us now?"

Recovering from her daze, Mai finally registered the familiar face in front of her. "John...how long was I out for?" she asked. The blonde priest smiled and offered her a hand, pulling her up from the ground before answering her question.

"Two to three minutes tops. You just kind of fainted once you stepped into the room." His bright blue eyes gave her a quick once-over to check for any injuries before the tension she hadn't noticed seemed to evaporate from him.

"Really? Felt a lot longer to me..." Mai trailed off as she thought about the odd time difference.

Earlier that day, Naru had asked her and John to accompany him to the office of the factory's original owner. He was hoping that Mai would be able to sense something and John was there in case the spirit attacked.

It was safe to say that she did a _bit_ more than just sense something.

Glancing around the room, her eyes were quickly drawn to the pipe that had been damaged during her dream. However, this was soon forgotten about as she caught sight of a dark mass moving in her peripheral.

"Mai, what did you see?" Naru asked as he calmly moved closer to the pair standing in the middle of the room.

A tick soon started up in Mai's eyebrow at his words. "What, no _"How are you Mai?"_ or _"Are you feeling okay?"_ Nothing? No, of course not, that would be beneath the mighty Naru the narcissist." She ended her rant with a roll of her eyes and a deep scowl in said narcissist's direction.

Naru merely raised one black eyebrow while giving her a flat stare. "You clearly seem to be fine since your ability to insult my perfectly acceptable social skills seems to be in working order so I see no need to ask any unnecessary questions."

"Wha- Perfectly acceptable?!" Mai sputtered in her astonishment and annoyance.

Naru just smirked at her affronted expression. "I'm fully capable of remembering what I said without you repeating it back to me." Her answering flush of anger only further amused him. Sometimes she just made things too easy.

John watched the pair argue back and forth with a wary but amused expression. It was good to see them getting along again. Naru had been much more straight-faced and closed off while Mai was gone. It was a relief to see him opening up again and it was all thanks to a certain brunette. "Uh, guys, don't you think we should be getting back to the case?"

The priest smiled as the two froze briefly before Mai seemed to deflate and Naru put his professional mask back on.

Naru gave a slight nod of acknowledgment in the priest's direction before focusing back on the task at hand. "Mai?" He prompted as his gaze went back to the short brunette.

Letting out a sigh of frustration, Mai recounted the events of the dream to them from the initial argument between Usagi and Gorou all the way to the last moments of Usagi's life. She had to pause during portions of it, either to rein in her anger or sadness, as she relived the events she had witnessed. When she finished, John gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze and she sent him a grateful smile.

Naru silently stood in his spot, arms crossed and gaze unfocused, as he mulled over and dissected all the new information that he'd been provided. Mai's vision had filled in the missing gaps in the story and gave him a much better understanding of the reasoning behind the previous attacks. It occurred to him that without Mai they probably never would have learned of this vital piece of information. The events that happened in the factory and their instigators both died in that fire. His deep blue eyes slid over to the young psychic briefly before he closed them, pulling all the facts and knowledge of the case together before he addressed the two in front of him once more. "With what we know now, we should be able to exorcise Usagi's ghost much easier than before."

"I think we should try a seance first," suggested John. "Try to help her move on peacefully before we use our last resort."

Naru considered the priest's idea while Mai added her own input. "She feels betrayed and, though I don't condone her actions, she was doing what she thought was right in her own mixed-up way. It's human nature to want to get back at those that did you wrong." She then looked straight at Naru. "I say we give it a shot."

Having listened to both their points of view, Naru thought about it for a few more seconds before coming to a decision. "Alright. Let's inform the others and get started."

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Once the sun had set, Masako, Naru, Mai, Yasu, and Kenshin found themselves seated in a circle with a single candle at the center of them. It was decided that Masako would be conducting the seance and channeling Usagi's spirit while Mai would act in a secondary role, attempting to have Usagi move on peacefully. The rest of the SPR members hovered around the five of them as a backup in case things went south.

The only sources of light illuminating the room were the moon and the slowly swaying flame of the candle. A silence had settled over the group but that was soon broken by Naru. "Is everyone ready?" Receiving answering nods and confirmations, the young owner of SPR focused in on Masako.

"Then let's begin."

Masako held out both her hands, signaling for the others to do the same as they all grasped onto each other, completing the circle. Mai was situated between Naru and Kenshin which gave her some comfort but didn't quite dismiss the tight ball of nerves in her stomach. Kenshin, sensing this, gave her gloved hand a quick squeeze, both of them sharing a glance for less than a second before Mai responded in kind by reciprocating the gesture.

"I will need everyone to close their eyes, take a deep breath, and then slowly let it out." Those in the circle listened to the medium's request while the rest of SPR concentrated on their surroundings.

Seeing that they had followed her instructions, Masako then began. "I call upon the spirit of Usagi Ando, who dwells within these walls, and I invite you to use my body as a vessel for you to communicate."

The candle's flame flickered erratically for a few seconds and Masako paused for a moment in order to give the spirit ample time to respond before she continued. "We ask that you join us in this circle and help us understand what happened here."

Abruptly, the candle went out, leaving the investigators in almost complete darkness. Nobody moved from their spots as they waited for the spirit to make its move.

Just as suddenly as the candle was extinguished, its flame sprung to life once more, illuminating the faces of those occupying the circle. Everyone's eyes opened and swung to the one person that would have been affected by the activity and the difference was immediately noticeable.

Masako had always held herself in a very prim and proper manner but at this moment her usually impeccable posture was slightly slumped forward. Her once gentle grip on both Naru and Yasu's hands was now strong and even seemed to be a little too tight. The biggest difference, however, was the pair of dark brown eyes glinting in the candlelight where there were normally light gray irises. Usagi had successfully possessed her.

Mai waited only a few seconds before she started her part of the seance. "Mrs. Ando-"

Usagi snapped the head of her temporary body in Mai's direction before interrupting her. "You!"

Mai froze for a moment, completely confused as to why the spirit was specifically singling her out. "Uh, Mrs. Ando, we'd like to-" Once more, the high school senior was cut off by the spirit.

"I thought you were different but you're just like the rest of these pigs," she spat, "Ignoring me and siding with your boss!" By now Usagi had released her death-grip on Yasu and Naru's hands and was standing at Masako's full height, towering over the still seated group. Ayako, Takigawa, John and Lin had tensed up as soon as the spirit started To stand. They were on high alert for any signs of violence that would require them to step in.

Not wanting to be in a vulnerable position around the unstable spirit, Mai, Naru, Kenshin, and Yasu all slowly rose to their feet but kept their distance from the possessed Medium. Mai, with an assuring nod from Naru, was the only one to step towards her until she was a good 5 feet away.

"Usagi, I know what happened to you. I know how your employer and coworkers treated you, but they're no longer here. There's no reason for you to stay. You should move on and find peace." The young brunette spoke in a soft tone.

The group watched as Masako's eyes narrowed into irritated slits before the spirit spoke once more. "My _employer_ may be gone but there will always be others like him and the spineless cowards that followed him." Venom dripped from every word Usagi spoke. "People like that boy who force their desires upon others and their little lackeys that either help or do nothing but watch. It's sickening! They shouldn't be allowed to spread their _filth!_ "

As the spirit's rant progressed, the temperature in the room gradually began dropping at a steady rate. The occupants of the room were now able to see their breath and small items scattered around began rattling in their places. There was a buzz in the air as tensions rose.

Mai was starting to second guess if she'd be able to pull off cleansing the spirit. Usagi seemed to be too far gone to accept moving on peacefully. The ghost seemed to have convinced herself that she was making the world a better place by removing the, in her opinion, tormentors and their accomplices. It always pained her to see someone's spirit so twisted and consumed by rage.

The next time Mai spoke, her voice had a pleading undertone. "Usagi, please let us help you! Don't you want to see your family again? Your children?"

The room was now below freezing and Naru was slowly inching closer to his former assistant so he could move her out of harm's way. The activity in the room had only increased and it was now getting to a dangerous level. He could tell that the spirit was too consumed by its hatred for Mai to get through to her and Naru could see that young brunette was starting to feel the same.

"I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!" screamed Usagi as she flung one of the chairs at the young brunette.

"Mai!" chorused the SPR team and Kenshin.

It was at that moment that Naru lunged for Mai, pulling the girl out of the chair's path and into his chest. He heard the projectile smash against the wall with a loud crash but didn't dare to look away from the volatile spirit. "Monk!"

Takigawa needed no further prompting as he steadied his hands and began the exorcism." On kirikiri bon sowaka..."

Once the team had identified the spirit as Usagi Ando they had researched her religious affiliation and, since she was Buddhist, it was decided that Takigawa would perform the exorcism if one were required. Having a spiritualist of the same religious denomination conduct the exorcism was always more effective.

The group watched as Masako's body curled into itself in pain as Usagi let out a sharp cry then swiftly directed her attention to the blonde-haired monk. She began to take a step forward but let out a scream instead as John splashed some of his holy water onto her, halting the spirit's movement.

During all of this, Mai had put some distance between her and Naru but he still had a grasp on Mai's arm, cautiously maneuvering them away from and around the hostile ghost and along the edge of the room till they were behind Takigawa, Ayako John, and Lin. He refused to take any chances since Usagi's spirit seemed to be slightly fixated on Mai. The girl was a trouble magnet back when she still worked for him and he was not willing to see if the statement still holds true even after all these years.

Naru spared a glance to his left at Yasu and Kenshin who had also sought cover behind the spiritualists. Giving them a quick once over, he deemed them to be okay before once again focusing back in on the confrontation happening before them. Lin had slid over a couple of feet till he was standing in a protective position in front of Naru and the others. Ayako had joined him, standing with her fingers in the correct form for the nine cuts just in case the spirit managed to get through both John and Takigawa. Said monk and priest were completely focused on the task at hand. At this point, John had joined Takigawa, reciting his verses and flinging the water from his flask at the possessed Masako.

The spirit's reaction to the onslaught was to start sending random items throughout the room flying towards its occupants. Everyone began dodging the projectiles but no matter how hard they tried it was impossible to avoid all of them. John and Takigawa seemed to be getting the worst of it since they could only avoid so much while still concentrating on the exorcism.

Mai watched as the whole gang struggled before deciding to act. "Kenshin, cover for me!"

Confusion marred the detective's face before realization replaced it. With a sharp nod, the police officer moved till he was standing directly behind Mai and took up a defensive position.

"Mai what are you doing?" Naru spoke into the brunette's ear so he would be heard over the sound of chanting and crashing objects. Since he still had a grasp on her arm they were standing fairly close together.

An involuntary shiver raced down Mai's spine at the action but she quickly squashed the feeling, deciding to not think about her reaction to Naru right now. Or ever. "I'm going to put up a barrier around us but I have to concentrate so I won't be able to dodge anything."

Deep blue eyes locked with her own light brown, lasting no longer than a second before Naru nodded his acceptance and moved to cover her front. Knowing that she could trust both Naru and Kenshin to keep her safe, Mai took a deep breath to center herself then closed her eyes. "Nam de terra, aer, ignis, aqua, et Spiritu Sancto rogo te prohibere me praesentiam periculorum."

It took a few seconds of chanting and objects being batted away from the immobile girl before everyone, excluding John and Takigawa, began noticing a decrease in flying debris. Not long after that, they watched in relief, and in some cases confusion, as the airborne items seemed to lose all momentum after crossing a certain point before clattering to the ground. It was then that those not in on the plan turned to face the direction that they could hear the unfamiliar chant.

"The Boss's trick sure does come in handy." a slightly ruffled Yasu commented.

"Unfortunately, she can only hold a barrier this big for a couple of minutes at best. Your exorcists need to be done before that happens." Kenshin informed the group while directing his last statement to Naru.

A shrill scream interrupted any response that may have come from SPR's boss as they turned to see Masako's unnaturally brown eyes were zeroed in on the temporarily protected group. Apparently, they weren't the only ones to notice the sudden lack of injuries.

In a show of rage, Usagi sent a heavy rotted table zooming towards them. Both the monk and priest had to dodge out of its way while it continued its fast pace to the shocked group. They watched as it seemed to slam into an invisible force but that was quickly abandoned as they all heard Mai let out a shout of pain. " _Mai!_ "

Said girl was now kneeling on the ground but her hands were still held tightly in the seal as she continued to chant the foreign words through her harsh breaths. "Nam de t-terra, aer, ignis, aqua, et Spiritu Sancto r-rogo te prohibere me praesentiam periculorum. Virtute ter i-ita fiat, ut fiat, ita fiat!"

Knowing that she wouldn't be able to take another hit like that, Naru decided it was high time to end this. "John, Monk! You need to finish things now! Lin, Ayako, go help them!"

Both individuals nodded, Lin reluctantly so, before they left the safety of Mai's barrier and entered the fray. A piercing whistle echoed around the room as Lin's Shiki joined the assault while Ayako let loose the nine cuts. At the same time, both John and Takigawa began bringing their exorcisms to a close.

"In principo, Amen."

"Bazara dan kan!"

Having been dealt the final blow, Usagi let out one final shout of pain and anger before Masako's body went limp and crumpled to the cement floor. Everyone paused, delving the room into a cautious silence as they waited to see if the spirit was truly gone. Mai, who had lifted her barrier the moment Masako collapsed, was the first to make a move towards the collapsed medium in spite of her exhausted state. Not a second later, the rest of the worried group made their way over to Masako. Mai made sure to move aside so the redheaded priestess would have room to look at the medium. Ayako quickly set to work, checking the kimono-clad girl for any immediate injuries or other problems.

While the others gathered around the unconscious medium, Naru and Lin made a beeline for the monitors and equipment. Some of it was missing, having been used by the angry spirit as projectiles, much to Naru's annoyance, but most of it was still in place and in working condition. They immediately checked the monitors and temperature gauges for the base along with all other rooms they were still able to view. They both determined that the spirit was most likely now gone since all the equipment was telling them that everything was normal. They would need to stay for another day just to be sure but Naru was confident that the spirit of Usagi Ando was successfully exorcised from the factory.

___________________________________________________________________________________

"On behalf of the Tokyo P.D. I would like to thank you for your help during this case."

Naru dipped his head in acknowledgment towards Kenshin. "We were glad to be of assistance."

A day had already passed since the successful exorcism of Usagi Ando and the SPR team had just finished clearing out their base and were getting ready to leave. There were still a few police officers wandering the old factory, picking up last-minute evidence and clearing out the floodlights they had placed around the property. Kenshin, being the lead investigator, had come to oversee this. Mai had tagged along as well, wanting to say goodbye to her old friends.

"You better not disappear on us again Jou-chan or I swear I'll sick Ayako on you!" Takigawa stated while pointing his finger at the young high school senior. A look promising retribution if she didn't listen directed at her.

Ayako twitched at the statement. "What the heck is that supposed to mean you lousy monk? I'm not a damn dog!"

Said monk smirked at the fuming redhead. "Could have fooled me. You're definitely violent enough."

"Why you..!" SMACK!

"OW! Dammit woman, that's my head, not a punching bag!"

"You asked for it old man!"

Mai couldn't help but laugh at the familiar scene. It seemed that no matter how much time may have passed, Ayako and Takigawa would always have a talent for driving each other up a wall. "Guys don't worry, I've got all your numbers now so I'll definitely keep in touch."

As soon as the SPR regulars had spotted Mai that morning they immediately ambushed her, stealing her phone before she could protest and imputing all their cell phone numbers. Even Masako put hers in, much to Mai's surprise.

The young medium had awoken the day before about an hour after the exorcism was completed too many worried yet relieved faces. While she was a little weak at first, she steadily gained back her strength and she looked to be good as new when Mai first spotted her that morning.

"Sure you don't want to come back with us Mai?" John questioned.

Mai could tell that the group of ghost hunters wasn't quite ready to part from their long-lost friend but, as much as she was tempted to, she couldn't take up the offer. "Sorry, John, but I have to stay with Kenshin then go report to the Chief." she offered apologetically.

"Fine, fine have it your way Boss. Besides, I bet you just want more time alone with your gorgeous police detective, right?" teased the bespectacled college student with an impish grin.

"Yasu!" Mai shouted in embarrassment. She could already feel the blush climbing up her face at the insinuation and the mischievous smiles coming from Yasu, Ayako, and Takigawa weren't helping in the slightest.

"Very true. It would be terribly rude of us to intrude into their private time." Mai shot Masako a scathing look for that comment and she just knew the medium was smirking at her behind her sleeve covered mouth.

_'Damnit Masako, you're not helping!'_

"Now now, I'm sure Mai really does have to get back to work once we leave," John said in an attempt to help Mai out of the embarrassing situation.

The young brunette let out a sigh of relief knowing that at least someone was on her side. _'John, you're a saint!'_

"If you're all done wasting time, we need to head back to the office." Naru, who had already started making his way to the van, turned back and looked at the group with the same blank face he always wore.

A few complaints were grumbled here and there but were quickly silenced with a calm threat of their pay being docked. After that, everyone quickly said their goodbyes to Kenshin and Mai, Takigawa nearly squeezing the poor brunette to death while Ayako threatened bodily harm if she didn't answer her cell when they called her.

Both Naru and Kenshin stood outside the group, watching the farewells being exchanged and, in Kenshin's case, exchanging some of his own with SPR's members. It wasn't until the SPR regulars had reached the van that a somewhat tense silence encompassed the remaining group of three.

Mai just stared at Naru, not quite sure what to say as the aptly titled narcissist himself merely looked at her with the same expression that made knowing what he was thinking virtually impossible.

Mai's hands began fidgeting while she shifted her body weight onto her left leg. The silence was making her nervous. "Well, I, uh, I guess I'll see you around."

With that, the young brunette spun on her heels and started making her way back to the factory.

"It was good to see you again, Mai."

Said girl quickly spun back around, having barely caught the softly spoken words. When she was finally facing the black-clad man he was already in the process of turning around so he could walk back to the van. What really caught her attention, though, just before he was completely facing away from her, Mai saw him looking back at her with a small smile at the corner of his lips.

Shock overcame her features at the rare sight, an honest to god smile, being directed at her by none other than Naru himself. She'd only ever had the pleasure of seeing such a sight one other time and that was right after the case involving the teacher hexing her students.

Mai blinked in order to make sure what she was seeing was real but, when she next opened her eyes, Naru was already calmly making his way back to the van. It was almost as if it never happened in the first place.

_'I'm not seeing things, right?'_

"Mai, you coming?"

The high school senior was brought out of her thoughts by the question and directed her gaze to the detective. "Yeah, sorry must have zoned out there for a bit."

Kenshin just raised one black eyebrow at her while a small smile appeared on his lips. "Uh-huh. Come on space cadet, we need to finish up the paperwork before we report back to the Chief."

At the reminder, Mai visibly slouched. "Damn paperwork, it's like it never ends!"

Kenshin chuckled at the brunette's words while silently agreeing with her. "You've been doing this for about a year now, you'd think you'd be used to it already."

Mai continued to pout and grumble as the duo made their way to the entrance of the old building. "There's a special place in hell for the people who came up with paperwork, right next to the inventors of algebra!"

Kenshin full out laughed at that one. If there was one thing he knew Mai hated more than the reports they had to write every case, it was math.

Having entered back into the factory, the pair silently walked back to the same room that they had found Tachibana Shinrei's body. There were only a couple officers still on the premises but even they were now packing up and leaving the scene. Kenshin only came back in to grab his binder that he'd left in the room. After that, they were also going to head out since there was nothing left for them to do.

Mai silently looked around the empty space, details such as the hole in the ceiling making her think back to the vision she saw of the victim's last few minutes. She was never able to find Tachibana's spirit so it was safe to assume that he was able to move on after he was murdered.

The thought made her happy. Anyone that had to go through an experience such as he did deserve to rest in peace.

Thinking about it now, the cases that she usually tagged along on with Kenshin were almost never this dangerous. She should have known, though, the moment she saw Naru, that it wasn't going to be an ordinary consultation. Her ex-boss had a knack for choosing only the most difficult, or dangerous, of cases.

"Hey, Kenshin..."

Glancing up from his binder the detective gave the young woman a curious look. "Hm?"

"Do you think we'll end up working with them again?"

Kenshin knew who she was referring to without her having to elaborate. Softly closing his binder, he began walking towards the exit with Mai following close behind. "Who knows? We'll just have to wait and see, now won't we?"

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**End scene!**

**Voilà! The Atsuko Factory Case is now finished and we can move on to even more exciting cases! Before I say anything else though I, of course, have to thank everyone that left kudos and reviewed the last chapter!**

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**And that's about it. Not much else to say other than please favorite, follow and review if you enjoyed it! I will always write back to your reviews and I love hearing about your likes, dislikes, and theories for the story. Also, as always, constructive criticism is definitely welcome. I want to evolve my writing so you guys can read an even better story!**

**Adios for now, amigos!**

**Shayrulz**


	8. Break's Over

**Edited: 4/21/20**

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**Chapter 8: Break's Over**

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Running.

Hard boots pounding against the polished wood floor.

Labored breath.

It had already been 20 minutes.

Door after door.

The same routine over and over until he found what he was looking for.

Run. Look. Shout. Repeat.

Yelling for the one he so desperately needed to find but could not seem to locate.

Run. Look. Shout. Repeat.

Actions fueled by adrenaline and fear with only one thought repeating over and over.

_'Find her! FIND HER! **FIND HER!** '_

Run. Look.

Stop.

Found her.

A petite figure stood facing away from the door, humming a tune while writing on the far wall in a dark-colored substance.

Lightning flashes.

Its blood.

Calling out to her, she turns and bestows a serene smile but there's something wrong with it, something...off.

The power fails. Complete darkness consumes the man for a split second.

Lightning flashes.

She's gone.

_"MAI!"_

___________________________________________________________________________________

"Yasu, tea."

"Coming right up Bossman!"

The SPR office had been rather quiet recently. Not many cases had come up.

Scratch that.

Plenty of new cases had come in but very few piqued the young genius's interest, causing their workload to thin out and leaving the building's workers anxious for something to do, whether they admitted it or not.

Ever since the reopening of SPR, Yasu had taken up Mai's old position of office assistant/secretary. His schedule was much like Mai's used to be since he was still attending classes at his university.

It was definitely a different atmosphere from when the bubbly brunette last worked there. Yasu was a very diligent and quick worker so days that used to be filled with shouted reminders of getting back to work or teasing reprimands of being slow no longer sounded throughout the office. That's not to say that Yasu didn't bring his own interesting qualities. Far from it.

While Naru certainly appreciated that things were being done in a timely manner, both he and Lin had not anticipated the consequences. After having completed his workload, Yasu generally had nothing better to do for the remainder of his time in the office. Which meant he grew bored, and a bored Yasu is never a good thing. _Ever._

The young college student's almost immunity to Naru's glares made reeling in his boredom that much more difficult. Sometimes, Naru would walk out of his office to find the young man with a pair of headphones in and binge-watching the latest episodes of his much loved American TV shows. Shows that, he might add, the student shouldn't have access to. He even caught Yasu practically bawling his eyes out while watching the end of Titanic, furiously whispering "Don't let go, Jack. _Don't let go!"_

One time when Lin had come out of his office he was treated to the sight of Yasu typing furiously at his keyboard while multiple windows popped up on his computer, all filled with either code or files the student probably, again, shouldn't have access to. There was also a rather disturbing smile on the young man's face and he would swear he heard a chuckle or two.

It was that day that Lin made the executive decision to ignore any and all activities that the college student got up to in his spare time. Some may call it willful blindness but the Chinese man preferred the ability to plead ignorance if any authorities ever came knocking at their door. Plausible deniability was a wonderful thing.

After Yasu had delivered Naru's tea he sat back at his desk and began contemplating what to do with his now open schedule. Naru had tried to keep the young man occupied as much as he could but there was only so much filing that a person could do.

Just as he was beginning to get settled in for a movie marathon the office door swung open with more force than necessary. "How's our little secretary doing today?"

Snapping his head up at the noise and familiar voice, a smile broke out on Yasu's face. "Hey, guys! To what do we owe this surprise visit?"

Both Ayako and Takigawa fully entered the space before shutting the door behind them and making their way over to the lounge. "We were in the area and decided to drop by to see if Naru had finally killed you yet." Ayako teased.

An innocent expression quickly replaced Yasu's smile as he lifted his right hand to rest on his chest in a show of confusion. "Why whatever do you mean? I've been nothing but hard-working and considerate this whole time."

Neither adult fell for the obvious lie. They both knew that Yasu got tremendous joy out of surprising and screwing with people. Plus, if what they'd heard from John was true, then the young man in front of them was definitely succeeding.

"Sure you don't, shounen, like we'll believe that." Takigawa playfully grouched.

Yasu just smiled at the pair, refusing to confirm or deny anything.

Seeing that the young man wouldn't be saying anything further on the current topic, Ayako decided she should probably mention why they were there. "Anyway, the real reason we decided to visit is that everyone was thinking of meeting up tonight and we wanted to see if you were interested."

Yasu had to think about it for a moment to make sure that he didn't have any other obligations before responding. "Sure, I'm free tonight. It'll be good to see everyone. Although you could have just called you know, no need to come all the way here."

"Trying to say you didn't want to see us, brat?" asked Takigawa.

A mischievous look filtered across Yasu's face at the taunt. "Of course not! I'll always want to see you, my love!" A wink was directed to the now slightly pale monk that induced a cold shiver down his spine.

Ayako took a few seconds to compose herself after the amusing scene before answering his initial question. "While just calling would have worked for you, I'm pretty sure Naru would have just hung up on us once he found out it wasn't a work call."

Yasu's mouth twitched into an understanding smile while a nervous laugh passed his lips. "Yeah, you're probably right. I guess cornering him would be your best bet."

"And who exactly are you trying to corner?"

All of the room's occupants spun to face the unexpected voice. What they found was a slightly glaring Naru leaning casually against the door frame of his office.

"Wha- corner? I think you heard us wrong, we said -uh- horner!" Ayako hastily replied.

Both Yasu and Takigawa hung their heads and mentally face-palmed at the redhead's pathetic cover-up.

Naru raised a skeptical black eyebrow and her response. "If you're going to lie at least come up with a better one. Aren't doctors supposed to be smart?"

That comment had both Monk and Yasu stifling their chuckles while Ayako was flushed red with anger. It was when Takigawa saw her reaching for her purse that he decided to intervene. "If we ever end up relying on you during an investigation we'll be doomed, what with your _quick thinking_ under pressure."

Ayako's eyes immediately left the now indifferent face of Naru and snapped to Takigawa. "What was that you lousy monk?"

"Now, now," began Yasu while waving his hands in a placating manner, "you did come here for a reason, right?"

Takigawa shot the college student a grateful look while the redheaded priestess took a few seconds to calm her rage. Seeing that he no longer had reason to fear for his life, Takigawa straightened up before addressing their silently observing boss. "So we were wondering if you and Lin wanted to meet up with the rest of us later. We're planning on meeting for dinner at that Teppanyaki place a couple of blocks down."

Naru took one look at the group's smiling and hopeful faces before replying.

"No." Then he walked back into his office and shut the door.

They all groaned at Naru's anti-social behavior. While they were pretty much used to it by now, it still amazed them how standoffish he could be at times.

"You know, sometimes I wonder why we even bother," Ayako grumbled exasperatedly.

"Look at it this way," Yasu added with a small smile, "at least, you can say you tried."

The priestess's face grew pensive before brightening once more. "Oh, we need to invite Mai! Maybe that'll change his mind!"

___________________________________________________________________________________

_SLAM!_

"Come on, you can do better than that!"

_SWISH_

"You know, if you're _trying_ to hit air then you're doing a wonderful job."

Quiet.

"Uh, Mai? Why are you taking off your gloves? W-wait, wait! I was just teasing! Teasing!"

_SMACK!_

"You stupid moron quit making fun of me! Or next time it won't be my gloves that hit you in the face!" The brunette all but growled the last sentence at the young detective.

A chuckle escaped Kenshin's mouth as he took in the sight of the fuming high school senior. "Alright, alright I get it," crouching down slightly, he picked up the MMA gloves that had been chucked at him, "I'll lay off, for now." The small smirk that he shot the girl only frustrated her further.

Throwing up her hands in irritation, Mai snatched back the gloves with a huff before slipping them back on. She chose to ignore the amused expression on Kenshin's face. "Whatever, let's just continue."

Both got into their stances before Kenshin sprung forward at Mai. "You understand that this is for your own good, right?" A right cross was thrown.

"Yeah, yeah I know." The cross was dodged. "Can't hang out with the big kids if I can't defend myself."

"Correct." The detective smiled at her exasperated face while bringing his right hand back and continuing with his left aimed at her stomach. "Also, getting caught by that tall Chinese man on that joint case? I'm ashamed to call you my student."

Mai definitely caught the teasing edge to his voice. "Seriously?" She took a step back and to the right, avoiding the punch, before throwing one of her own at his left side. "This is Lin we're talking about! The man has the reflexes of a ninja!"

Kenshin lowered his left elbow to block the strike. "Hm, that kinda sounds like an excuse to me. Maybe we should increase the time of your training sessions." The detective could barely hold in his laughter at the horrified look that Mai was giving him. Taking advantage of her momentary lapse in concentration, he twisted, grabbed onto her arm, then threw her over his shoulder.

_SLAM!_

Mai coughed a little, trying to get air back into her lungs, before going limp. "Damnit, just once I want to get a good hit on you!"

Kenshin chuckled at her while staring down at the annoyed and tired girl with a fond expression. "Well, there's always next time."

"That's what you've said for the last 8 months!"

"And maybe one day it will finally come true."

Mai growled at him again before deciding that it wasn't worth getting worked up over. They had this same conversation at the end of every training session and she still hadn't managed to land a hit on him when they sparred.

Although...

"Help me up?" She extended her hand to the detective, a small smile on her face.

Slightly suspicious, he grabbed her hand and lifted her from the ground.

This was his first mistake.

Mai quickly clasped her other hand onto his arm and, putting all her weight behind it, pulled. The already off-balance Kenshin easily tipped forward while Mai swung her right leg out and swept his feet out from under him. He fell with a stunned face and, in Mai's opinion, a very satisfying smack.

Springing to her feet, Mai's expression screamed triumph and satisfaction. "Ha! Not so fun being the one on the mat, is it?"

She could barely make out the mumbled "...damn brat..." from Kenshin but at this point, she could care less; she'd finally got one up on him!

Flipping over so he was no longer on his stomach, Kenshin pushed himself up with his hands. "And who exactly taught you that? 'Cause I sure didn't."

The cheeky smile she shot him only solidified his suspicions about who her mysterious teacher was. "Sorry, but that's confidential."

"So the Chief huh? Underhanded bastard...he's probably recording this too."

Mai just smirked. "Ask me no questions and I will tell you no lies."

Kenshin just quirked an eyebrow at the reference. "Just how much time have you been spending with the Chief? You're even quoting Harry Potter." A serious expression suddenly took over his face. "Please tell me you're not going to start carrying around holy water and splashing everyone you meet."

Mai's smile faltered slightly before a nervous laugh escaped her lips. "Yeah, no matter how much time I spend with him I don't think that's one of the habits I'll pick up."

"Hey, guys!"

Both Mai and Kenshin's heads snapped in the direction of the voice only to be met by a smiling Masaru.

"Masaru!" Mai sprinted over to the burly officer, leaping into his arms for a hug.

Said man just laughed and lifted her from the ground in a quick embrace before setting her back down again. "Been about a week since I last saw you, how you been?"

By now Kenshin had fully picked himself up from the floor and was walking over to join the two, listening as Mai gave an exhausted sigh while answering the question. "We had midterms all week so when I wasn't busy studying, I was passed out on my bed."

He laughed at the girl's antics. "Ah that's right, I remember you mentioning that they were coming up soon last time. That's definitely not something I miss from my high school days." Was Masaru's good-natured response.

"Yes, yes, I'm sure it was all very horrible and stressful but we need to get changed and go meet the Chief. You guys can catch up later." Kenshin gave Mai a small shove in the direction of the locker rooms. She pouted at him for interrupting them but knew that they probably should go change. She definitely didn't want to walk into the main offices smelling like sweat.

"Fine..." she grudgingly agreed, "I'll visit later!" This she directed at the burly officer,

Masaru chuckled at her hyper attitude before waving them off and exiting the training room.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Twenty minutes later found Mai and Kenshin, fully dressed, with their gloves and gun respectively, walking through the maze of desks that made up the main floor of the Homicide Division. They greeted other members of the unit as they walked to the back of the room where an enclosed office was situated. Stopping before the closed door, Kenshin raised a fist and rapped his knuckles against the glass two times. A cheery, "Come in!" was the response they received before they pushed open the door.

At first glance, the office looked rather normal for a police chief. Medals and photos decorated the walls and a bookcase full of binders and an assortment of books. A large wooden desk was situated in front of the large windows with a computer and various office supplies and keepsakes. Perfectly normal.

Until you looked closer.

Hanging from the lamp was an assortment of what looked to be necklaces that all had different little symbols dangling from them.

_'Looks like his pentagram finally came in.'_

Next to the hand sanitizer was a box full of little glass bottles all neatly placed together containing a clear liquid. Nothing too odd...unless, of course, you noticed the little crosses enclosed in them.

A small bundle of half-burned sage twigs were perched high on the bookcase, displayed to look like incense, along with a Vajra, Buddha statue, Eye of Horus, Celtic Cross and Star of David. There was also a variety of non-law related books scattered throughout the bookcase, the most prominent being the colorful covers of the entire Harry Potter series.

Along with that were also other objects that weren't visible to the normal eye. As Mai glanced around, she could see the faint glow coming from four different sources, one on each wall. She knew these to be talismans that the Chief had had a monk, from Mt. Koya to her surprise, create for him. All of them were placed in locations where you wouldn't be able to find them unless you either knew where they were or happened upon them by chance. The only reason she could see where they were being due to her abilities as a medium.

"Ah well if it isn't my favorite pair! Come in, come in! Mai, how's school coming along?"

The man that greeted them was middle-aged with salt and pepper hair that was in a clear buzz cut. He was fairly fit for a man his age and, though you couldn't tell while he was sitting, he stood at an impressive 6 foot 1. The most striking feature, though, had to be his startlingly violet eyes. Yes, the man had purple eyes. He was one of the very few in the world born with the mutation and he definitely put them to good use. Mai never thought that purple could be so unnerving till she walked in on him interrogating a suspect. Right now, however, those eyes were filled with nothing but warmth.

"As good as the entrance exam year can be. Of course, getting to take time off for cases certainly helps to de-stress." Said high school senior brightly smiled at the warm welcome and question.

"I can imagine," Was his good-natured response, "though I must say, you seem to have become rather trigger happy with that lovely stun gun Kenshin keeps lending you. Got another test coming up soon?"

At this Mai's smile was reduced to a rather nervous one and was further proven by the shaky laugh that she let out. "Ha...I've got no idea what you're talking about."

The chief only gave her an amused look before addressing the young detective next to her. "Ah Detective Noboru, you know you really should keep better track of that thing, someone could end up getting hurt."

Kenshin's eyebrow twitched at the comment while his gray eyes narrowed the tiniest bit. "I've personally taught Mai how to use it so I don't think there'll be a problem."

"Hmm if that's the case maybe I should start giving her lessons."

"You trying to imply something old man?" The detective snapped.

"Only that she might benefit from a more experienced instructor as well. After all, two heads are better than one, right?" Chief Yamauchi asked with an overly bright smile.

"Hey, what's wrong with my shooting?!" Mai exclaimed. She was ignored.

"I bet the last time you trained someone there were still dinosaurs roaming the earth." Quipped Kenshin.

"Better than being a cheeky brat barely out of his diapers." The chief grumbled.

Mai just sighed at the familiar scene. Police Chief Takeshi Yamauchi was a friendly person in general and liked teasing everyone. He was also the only person that could consistently get under Kenshin's skin enough to annoy the usually friendly detective. It was a weird relationship that the two shared but it worked for them. Not to mention, it was highly entertaining to watch for the rest of the division.

"As much as I'm enjoying this, I'm assuming that you called us here for a reason other than teasing us?" Mai questioned in an exasperated voice, still slightly annoyed about the jab at her marksmanship.

"Ah, yes, of course!" Chief Yamauchi cheerfully agreed. "I have a case that I'd like your team to look into." Here he slid a thick manila folder towards the two.

Kenshin was the one who grabbed the folder from the desk before leafing through the documents inside. While he was going through the files Chief Yamauchi went on to verbally fill Mai in on the case. "There's a property up in Hinohara that's been having a series of disappearances. From what we gathered, there seems to be about one person that goes missing every year."

"Going by the location, one disappearance a year doesn't seem to be all that unexpected. It's located in the middle of a rural, mountainous area with hiking and hunting trails. It's not uncommon for people to go missing in places like these." Added Kenshin as he looked up from the documents in his hands.

"He has a point Chief," Mai said with a skeptical look.

Chief Yamauchi nodded his head at both their statements. "True, but these all happened on the same day."

Mai's expression now became concerned. "How long has this been going on?"

"As far as we can tell?" He answered, "Over twenty years."

"Wha- twenty years?!" Exclaimed Mai, "And we're only hearing about this now?!"

Kenshin had also looked up in surprise at the number. "As far as you can tell?"

Yamauchi's happy demeanor had grown serious as they further discussed the case. "That's right. We were only notified of the disappearances about eight years ago and we were only able to trace back any other similar disappearances about twenty years. Any further it all becomes a bit blurry."

"Blurry how?" Questioned Kenshin.

"First of all, despite all the tourists that flock to it, it's a small village, and you know how that works." At that remark, Kenshin let out a small sigh of frustration. "Also, their records building caught fire twelve years ago and a lot was lost in it. And before you ask," At this, the chief pointedly looks at Mai who'd begun opening her mouth, "no they did not keep any electronic records."

Mai hung her head with a slight pout at the information. "Of course they didn't. Why can't anything ever be easy..."

Both men smiled at the girl's antics, momentarily lifting the serious atmosphere of the room.

Raising her head back up, Mai started the conversation once more. "I'm assuming you had other officers working on this before so why are you calling us in on it now?"

Kenshin shifted all his attention back to the chief, wanting to know the answer to that question as well.

Yamauchi leveled them with a serious gaze before answering. "The building that everything is centered around is a relatively new wilderness resort. We've always assumed that the cause of these disappearances was a serial killer and that's what we've been looking for all this time. Recent events, however, have led me to believe that something not quite...normal...may be the cause of everything."

Both Kenshin and Mai watched him with rapt attention at that statement, waiting for him to continue.

Chief Yamauchi laced his fingers together before resting his chin on them. "We originally looked into the possibility of animal attacks but if that were the case we would have found some type of remains by now. After that fell through, we were positive that it was the work of a serial killer, though, after almost a decade of not finding any evidence of either the victims or the cause of their sudden vanishing acts, I started growing suspicious. Everything was too clean, too empty of any presence at all other than that of the missing people. Sure, some are experts at hiding their tracks but no one is _this_ good. They'd have to literally float through their surroundings to achieve the level of stealth that we're seeing."

Both Mai and Kenshin could hear the frustration that laced the chief's words and it was understandable. If the division truly had been working on the case for over eight years, then having still not found the cause would start to get to anyone. They were brought back out of their musings when Yamauchi continued to speak.

"When Mr. Takara, the owner of the resort, came forward to us with the reports from his clients about feeling like they were being watched and followed the building was immediately assigned a small detail to see if they could find the cause. By this point, I already had my suspicions but they were finally confirmed when, just two nights after the detail began their rounds, they heard a loud rustling coming from the woods and directly towards them. They found that it was one of the resort guests and he told them that he kept hearing someone following him while he was out on one of the trails, and then showed them the handprint-shaped bruise on his ankle that he reported getting from when he was fleeing whoever was following him."

"A bit of an awkward place to grab someone if you're chasing them." Commented Kenshin.

"Yeah, but not so odd if it's a spirit or some other supernatural force." Mai rebutted while crossing her arms.

"Exactly," the chief agreed, "and that's why I need your team to go and investigate this. You're the only ones even remotely equipped or experienced enough the handle this. Once you've determined the cause we'll be able to send in a professional to handle things. Maybe even that psychic research company that recently reopened down on Shibuya." He added a teasing but innocent tone to the last sentence while glancing at Mai out of the corner of his eye.

"Chief..." Mai all but growled at the head of the department. Kenshin attempted to stifle his chuckles but it started to slip out and then Mai turned her annoyed glare onto him. "Don't think I won't hurt you Kenshin. I took you down this morning and I'll do it again."

In response to the threat, the detective threw up his hands in the universal sign of surrender. "Speaking of which," this he directed towards the innocently smiling police chief, "since when have you been teaching Mai underhanded ways of fighting?"

Yamauchi just blinked at him in mock surprise. "What do you mean? I've done no such thing. Being the Police Chief doesn't allow for a whole lot of free time you know."

"Uh-huh, sure you didn't," Kenshin drawled with a flat look on his face, "just like you don't obsess over Harry Potter or anything occult-related."

Yamauchi shifted his eyes to the left with a pout before he mumbled a response. "There's nothing wrong with liking supernatural things."

Kenshin only raised a black eyebrow at the child-like answer.

"Enough guys. Case. Missing people, remember?" Mai interrupted.

The chief cleared his throat and regained his more professional demeanor. "Yes, of course. Anyways, I need your team there as soon as possible. Mai, you'll need to notify your school that you won't be coming in for at least a few days. If we require more time I'll contact them myself."

Mai nodded in understanding.

"Kenshin, you'll be meeting up with Officer Suzuki and he'll hand all other information over and you'll relieve his team."

Said detective gave a curt nod.

"Well then, that's all I've got for you so go get ready and head out as soon as possible. I told the team there to expect you around noon this afternoon."

"Yes, sir." Both Mai and Kenshin responded before exiting the office.

Once out in the normal cubicle space, Kenshin turned to his brunette partner. "So I'll pick you up from your apartment in a half-hour?"

"Yup, that'll be fine. Looks like we're onto our next adventure huh?" She asked with a small smile.

"Hopefully, it won't be as bad as the last one. I'd like to avoid almost being burned alive again, thanks." Was his sarcastic reply.

"Nah, I'm sure this will be much easier. I mean, if there was a ghost problem I'm sure that the owner would have contacted someone about it already. It's most likely a person with some type of PK or ESP and dealing with people is kind of our thing. What can go wrong?" Mai finished while absentmindedly fiddling with the gloves on her hands.

They had already begun walking to the exit of the office when they began their conversation and now, as Kenshin held open the office's front door for the small brunette, he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Famous last words."

Then he let the door swing shut.

___________________________________________________________________________________

**And it has begun!**

**It's a bit shorter than my usual chapters but it's only an introduction for what's going to happen next. I've got the outline for this arc all hashed out and I'm looking forward to this one!**

**Last but not least, REVIEW MY AWESOME READERS! I want to know all your thoughts on the story so far and how you think things will progress from here. I'd love to read any theories you might have, hell, you can even tell me how your day's going. Reviews are what keep this story alive and me writing so any comments or constructive criticisms are welcome. :)**

**See ya soon!**

**shayrulz**


	9. Ticking Clock

**Edited: 4/26/20**

**Chapter 9: Ticking Clock**

___________________________________________________________________________________

_Hey Young Blood,_

_doesn't it feel like our time is running out?_

_I'm gunna-_

"Hello?"

_"Hey Mai!"_

"Oh, Ayako, hey! What's up?" In her scramble to grab her cell, Mai forgot to look at the caller ID on her screen. Out of all the people that could have called, she wasn't expecting it to be the priestess though. If what Mai still remembered was correct, then Ayako usually spent her weekends out of the Tokyo area with family.

_"The usual, Naru's being picky as ever so no new cases which mean, of course, that we're all completely bored."_ The redhead answered in a dull voice.

"Yeah that sounds about right," Mai mumbled, a dry tone to her words, "but...uh, why are you calling?"

_"Oh, right! Well, everyone was thinking of meeting up for dinner at a local Teppanyaki restaurant and we wanted to know if you were interested in coming."_ Mai's face gained a soft smile at the invite, _"Plus, if you go I'm positive we'll be able to wrangle Naru into finally agreeing to come!"_

Said smile quickly vanished.

Kenshin, having kept an eye on the girl's expressions throughout the conversation at his place in the driver's seat, frowned at the sudden change.

"Um, about that...I'm actually on a case right now so I won't be able to go. Sorry." Kenshin could hear the slightly forced sincerity in Mai's voice and Ayako seemed to pick up on it as well.

_"Oh, yeah, uh no worries. Maybe we can all get together some other time?"_ Was the priestess's stuttered but hopeful response.

"Yeah, I'm sure we'll be able to hang out soon. Listen, I'm on a case with Kenshin right now so I need to go. Talk to you later?"

_"Sure. Good luck with the case."_ And with that, they ended the call. Kenshin peaked over at Mai again as she slowly placed her phone in her lap.

"Anything you want to share?"

The young brunette sat staring at the black screen of her mobile device in silence for a moment. She debated whether she should dump all her thoughts onto the man beside her. Kenshin, who'd already refocused his attention back onto the road, seemed to have sensed her inner struggle and shot her a quick look before darting his eyes back onto the winding asphalt and mountainous terrain. "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know."

Mai closed her eyes and let out a small huff of air. He always seemed to know what to say to get her to spill.

"It's just...they call and somehow expect things to go back to the way they were but, I just-I can't pretend like nothing's changed." Mai's faced scrunched up in frustration before she continued. "A lot's happened in the time we spent apart and, while I know she was trying to be nice, it's like she expects me to fit perfectly back into the place that I used to have in the group. And using me as bait? It just- it can't work like that. It _won't."_

The detective let out a contemplative hum at his partner's grievances. "You do know it's not a one-way street, right? You need to put in some effort too if anything's going to change."

The young psychic placed her left elbow on the car's window sill and rested her cheek on a gloved hand while gazing at the passing scenery. "I know, I know...I'm at fault here too, but I'm not the one trying to live in the past."

"True," he agreed, "but it's been what, three weeks since that case? You've talked with a couple of them _maybe_ a handful of times and never really met up with them when they asked. Seems to me like you're avoiding them."

"I'm not avoiding them," Here, Mai shifted so she could look at Kenshin, "I've just been really busy."

The deadpan look Kenshin shot her was all she needed to figure out what he thought of her excuse.

"Really..." he drawled, "Considering you've been at the precinct much more frequently than needed, I'd say you've had plenty of free time lately."

Being unable to counter his statement, the car fell into silence once more. Mai pouted at how easily the detective tore apart her excuse and went back to staring out the passenger window. She could admit - if only to herself - that she _had_ been avoiding seeing everyone. Honestly, she didn't know why she was trying so hard to not be around them. Sure, their actions in the past had hurt her, but Mai had always been a forgiving person. If she had to guess though, it would most likely be that she was...afraid.

Mai was a rather positive individual for being an orphan. She was lucky enough to have avoided foster care and had been allowed to take care of herself. When her mom was still alive, the one thing that she made sure Mai knew above all else was that, no matter how hard things may get, you should always remember that if you persevere the future will open up to you.

In the beginning, right after her mom's passing, it had been hard for her to stick to that advice. Losing a parent can be devastating to anyone and it only causes more damage the younger you lose them.

The teacher that took Mai in happened to be her middle school's guidance counselor. Throughout her career, she'd seen what had happened to the young orphans that passed through her office and decided that she would help Mai as much as possible to heal as much of the trauma she could while attempting to prevent some of the nastier effects it could cause.

The first year was the hardest. Mai experienced depression, bullying, and even the rare rage-induced tantrum every now and then. She would wholeheartedly agree that, without Mrs. Akiyama, she most likely would have had a much more jaded outlook on life. She certainly wouldn't have been as trusting. Of course, that's not to say she would've been as reclusive as Naru, but definitely not as outgoing and hopeful. Unfortunately, even with her lucky circumstances, Mai still bore some of the scars of an orphan. A major one being her fear of being alone and having no one care about her. In her opinion, this is the main contributing factor as to why she was wary about getting close to her old co-workers again.

"Say...Kenshin, if you were in my position what would you do?"

Kenshin didn't answer right away and kept driving in silence while he contemplated his response. "Honestly, I'm not sure I could tell you. I don't think I completely understand your reasoning for not seeing them so I can't give you a proper response."

Mai let out a light huff of air, pouting while looking at the dark-haired detective. "Gee thanks, that was helpful."

Kenshin glanced at her out of the corner of his eye with a small smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. "That's what I'm here for."

The pout gained a glare which only made the detective's smirk grow into a full-blown smile before he turned his attention back to the road.

"You're completely useless sometimes, you know that?" Quipped Mai.

"Oh, would you look at that? Looks like we've arrived."

"Are you ignoring me?" Mai asked with a suspicious look.

"We better gather our stuff and find Officer Suzuki." He stated while putting the vehicle in park.

"You are! You _jerk!"_

"Mai, you're scaring the already freaked out the resort guests."

The annoyed brunette paused her ranting and glanced at the people walking in and out of the large building who were shooting her wary looks. An embarrassed blush lit up her face and she swiftly turned away from the staring crowd and sunk into her seat in an attempt to hide.

"Hurry up Mai, you can sleep after we've talked with the local officers."

The highschooler poked her head up to find Kenshin had already gathered his things, exited the car, and was headed towards the Mizushima Resort. "Wha- Kenshin, wait up!" Scrambling out of the vehicle and to the back door, Mai snatched up her things and raced after the young detective. Kenshin was leaning against one of the pillars near the entrance waiting for the young woman to reach him. He laughed at the brunette's frenzied behavior and was still chuckling when she finally reached him.

Mai gave him another glare before punching him in the arm. "It's not funny Kenshin!"

"Sure, sure." The detective placated while finally getting his laughter under control. "Now, let's get started shall we?"

___________________________________________________________________________________

Takigawa and Yasu watched as Ayako ended the short call with Mai, both of them wearing slightly concerned expressions.

"So...what'd she say?" Asked Takigawa.

Shutting off her phone, Ayako began to fidget with the small device in her hand before answering. "She, uh, she's on a case with that detective so she can't come."

Both men had picked up on the slightly awkward turn that the conversation had taken between the priestess and the young high schooler. Neither of them was oblivious to the fact that Mai was practically avoiding them. Sure, she'd answer their calls but there was always some reason or another that she could never meet with them. Granted, being on a case was a very valid one, but the others that she'd given them were vague enough that they began getting suspicious.

"Guess we won't be getting Naru and Lin to come tonight," Yasu stated while leaning on his desk. "You think she'll actually get together with us one of these times?"

"I hope so," was Takigawa's response, "I kinda miss having the little spitfire around, you know?"

Both Yasu and Ayako nodded in agreement while the priestess added her own two cents. "I think we all miss the arguments that she and Naru would get into, even Masako, though I doubt she'll ever admit that out loud."

All three cracked a smile at the very true words. "You gotta admit," commented Yasu, "she's a lot easier to get along with now that she's not constantly trying to get Naru to notice her."

"Speak for yourself!" Ayako countered, annoyance coloring her words. "You're not the one who has to share a room with her during cases. Trust me, she's still a brat."

"You sure you're not saying that because you're still mad about that prank she pulled on you?" Was Takigawa's amused question, causing Yasu to stifle a chuckle behind his hand and Ayako's eyebrow to begin twitching.

"She knew that spirit had set up traps throughout the house to slow us down but insisted that I go into the rooms before her!" Was the growled retort from the priestess.

Both men laughed at the redhead's outrage towards the incident. "I don't know Ayako, I thought the web looked rather good on you."

"There were spiders in it!"

Both men lost it even more at the memory. Yasu was the first to straighten up with the light reflecting off his glasses, blocking his eyes from view. "Back in my day, a little fear was considered good for you. Builds character!"

The snarl that Ayako directed towards the college student caused him to duck behind his desk and look towards Takigawa with pleading eyes. The monk's answering expression said that the young man was on his own.

Before the angry priestess could physically express her rage, one of the office doors was thrown open and the expression that Naru greeted them with had all three freezing in their tracks. "This is a place of business, _not_ a lounge. If you have nothing productive to do here then _get out_ and leave my secretary to do his _job."_

Both adults darted out the front door like the hounds of hell were on their heels, shouting back a quick "We'll call you later!", to Yasu. Said college student stayed in his crouched position, gaze never leaving his irate boss. Naru shot him one last scathing glare before retreating into his office and closing the door with a little more force than necessary.

Letting out a breath of relief that he survived _that_ ordeal, Yasu rose from his defensive crouch and sat back in his chair with a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. "Well, it's never boring."

"Yasu, tea!"

"Coming right up, Big Boss!"

___________________________________________________________________________________

"Sergeant Suzuki?"

A rather plain-looking man in his thirties turned around and the moment his eyes landed on the duo his face relaxed from its former tense expression.

"Ah, Detective Noburo! I'm so glad you came, and this must be Ms. Taniyama."

Bowing slightly at the older man, Mai smiled at the frazzled looking officer. "Just Mai is fine, it's nice to meet you."

Returning the small bow, Suzuki gave the young brunette a smile of his own. "You as well. I've heard quite a few things around the precinct about you. They say you close cases, especially the odd ones, so this should be right up your alley."

"You hear that Kenshin," Mai teased while looking up at the dark-haired detective, "seems I'm getting pretty popular nowadays."

"Only because the cases you work on are as odd as you are." He mumbled.

"Hey!"

Suzuki let out a small huff of laughter at the duo's banter, causing them the stop talking and look at the officer. "Don't mind me, it's been a tense couple of weeks so your lightheartedness is a nice change."

Mai shot the officer a sympathetic look while Kenshin nodded in understanding. "Well let's not delay things any further. Can you show us where all your case files and records are?"

"Yes, of course." The sergeant nodded while waving for them to follow him. "We're set up a little ways from here at the local station and the resort itself will be boarding you so after we drop your stuff off at your rooms I'll take you to the station."

Both Kenshin and Mai nodded their understanding and followed the man as he led them to their accommodations. The rooms themselves were situated on the second floor, right next to each other and had the standard, basic amenities. Once they dropped off their bags the trio headed to their vehicles and Officer Suzuki led them to the station.

Upon arriving they were greeted by a small one-story building with the police insignia on top of it. Making their way into the building, Officer Suzuki told them that, since it was a small town, they only had a handful of officers which is why they had readily agreed to the extra help from headquarters. The inside of the building was fairly cramped. There were 5 desks squished into the main room with one enclosed office for the head of the station and a small conference room towards the back of the building. Suzuki led them straight to the conference room where they could see a couple of whiteboards were already set up along with a few boxes piled up on one of the tables.

"God..." Breathed out Mai, "are these all the missing people?"

The whiteboards were covered in dozens of photos, both men and women. They were set up along a timeline and, from the quality of the photos, seemed to be set up going from oldest to the most recent. The ones towards the beginning were few and spaced out but the further you looked along the timeline the more evenly spaced out they were until there was a photo for every year.

"It's something, huh?" Commented Suzuki, "Every time we've had to add a photo to that timeline it kills everyone a little more."

"I can imagine." Responded Kenshin while Mai continued to look at the photos.

"These are all of the missing person's reports that we were able to link to the area where the resort is located." Explained Suziki as he leaned against the table. "We've tried finding anything that the victims might have in common but there's really nothing that connects them. The only thing we can say for sure is that the victims are always adults, never children. The youngest victim was David Martinez, a 32-year-old who was here on a mission trip with his church." The sergeant pointed to the photo of a brown-haired man with soft features and dark, almost black eyes.

"So adults are the only targets but there doesn't seem to be a preference, anyone has a chance of being taken." Deduced Kenshin.

"That's right." Agreed Suzuki. "Most of those missing are tourists. The locals tend to avoid the woods at all costs around this time of year."

Mai gave the man a confused look. "If the locals are aware of this then why'd the owner of the resort decide to build here?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure." He replied with a shrug. "When we interviewed the locals about the disappearances they said that they had warned the tourists about the forest but most seemed to brush it off as superstition."

Mai's face gained an incredulous look. "Do these people not watch the news or something? And you'd think the owners would do some type of research about the area before they picked the location."

"The land was probably cheap due to its history." Guessed Kenshin. "The location and scenery plus how close it was to the lake most likely outweighed any unsavory things they might have heard."

"Well, the owner certainly is wary now." Snorted Suzuki. "Their business has practically dwindled to nothing due to these disappearances and we're getting close to the time where another person will go missing."

"January 7th right? That's only a couple of days away. It doesn't give us a whole lot of time." Was Kenshin's concerning statement. Mai's brow furrowed in worry along with the statement, wondering why they were placed on the case so close to the next disappearance.

"See that's the thing," the sergeant began, "there have never been any odd occurrences or complaints until about two or three days before someone goes missing." Here the uniformed man crossed his arms and let out a frustrated sigh. "We'd be investigating for months after someone went missing but wouldn't find anything. No complaints, no evidence, nothing. The only time we ever got _any_ information was in that 2-3 day timeframe."

Mai could practically feel the frustration coming off the man in waves. Both she and Kenshin could understand now why they were only being brought in now. The police force had most likely exhausted all other theories and options so their team was the last resort.

Nodding in understanding, Kenshin turned to the boxes stacked on the table and lifted one from the top before putting it on the tabletop. "Alright thanks, sergeant. We'll start going through what you have and go from there."

"Sounds good." Suzuki agreed while pushing off from the table. "If you need anything else just let me know. The local officers here at the station know about as much as I do so you can go to them too."

"Thanks, we'll keep you in the loop." Mai offered with a smile.

Suzuki returned the gesture before exiting the room. "I'd appreciate that."

The glass door to the room swung shut after his departure and both Mai and Kenshin settled into chairs while grabbing files from the box Kenshin had lowered earlier.

"This is sounding more and more like a spirit than a person." Mai speculated, leaning back in her chair and flipping through the file in her hand.

"I agree," The detective responded, looking up from his file, "but we need to be sure before we contact someone to handle it."

"Yeah, yeah I know." Was her blasé reply, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture. "Ugh, this is always the worst part. I _hate_ going through these stupid files." She grumbled.

Kenshin lifted a dark eyebrow at the remark before replying with a smirk. "I'm starting to think you have an aversion to anything paper related. Paperwork, case files, homework...seems like a solid theory to me."

Glaring at the older man, Mai practically growled while pointing at him. "Don't think I don't see you waiting till the last minute to finish your case reports Mr. Hotshot Detective." Here, Kenshin tilted his head slightly and gave her a look full of fake innocence. She only narrowed her eyes at the facade while continuing her rant. " _No one_ likes paperwork and it's practically a known fact that homework is really to torture students."

"I can assure you I have no idea what you're talking about." He countered, keeping up his act.

Mai could feel her whole body twitch at the blatant lie but decided that strangling him wouldn't be worth the trouble she'd go through so instead lifted the file that laid forgotten in her lap with a gloved hand and began reading through it, blocking her view of the detective. "Don't you have a job to do?"

Kenshin chuckled at the irritated brunette before returning his attention to the file. For the next few hours, the only sound that could be heard was the shuffling of folders and flipping of pages.

___________________________________________________________________________________

"Okay, so based on the reports and complaints from the resort all we've got is feeling like they're being followed, the occasional bruises from attacks, and humming. That everything?" Kenshin questioned while writing all the information along with their corresponding sources on one of the whiteboards.

Mai hummed in agreement, sitting cross-legged in her chair. "So far those are the only things we've found they have in common. Unfortunately, it's not a whole lot to go on."

Capping the marker in his hand, the detective placed it on the tray attached to the board. "In that case, feel like interviewing some resort guests?"

"Yes!" She exclaimed while springing up from her seat. "I'll go stir crazy if I sit in this room any longer!"

Swiftly gathering up the last of the files and placing them in the correct boxes, Mai snatched a notebook and pen from the table before practically bolting out of the room.

Meeting outside, they took one of the local station's squad cars and traveled the short distance back to the resort.

Arriving, the duo made their way to the front desk and asked to speak with the owner, Mr. Mizushima, while flashing their identification at the young receptionist. It took about five minutes from the woman calling the man to him showing up to greet them in the lobby. After exchanging their pleasantries, they asked him to point out the main areas that patrons had experienced the strange events as well as anyone that may have seen or heard anything that could be useful to the investigation. It took the group about an hour and a half to finish the tour of the resort as well as speaking with the staff and guests.

After that, they decided to drive into town and ask the locals their own set of questions to see if anything of a more supernatural nature popped up in their conversations or if they could glean more information about the location before the resort was built. It was when they started asking about the previous landowners that the older residents seemed to clam up. No amount of prodding or reassurance would get them to talk and with so little time for them to interview the locals, the duo was forced to move on and not push the issue further.

They made a quick stop at the local station to drop off their notes and add to the whiteboards before they headed back to the resort.

Once there, they decided it would be best to do a walk through to see if Mai could pick up on anything. They always kept them brief and did their best not to provoke whatever may be residing in the buildings they investigated since Mai was the only one capable of defending them and, even then, it wasn't something that she specialized in.

Having not found or sensed anything within the last half hour, they both agreed that it was time they try a different approach.

"This room should work."

Pushing open a door, Kenshin led them into what looked to be a lounge area. There were couches and love seats pushed up along the walls and a large flat-screen TV above an empty fireplace.

"Yeah, this will be good," Mai replied.

"You think you'll be able to sense anything?" He asked out of curiosity.

"Being a medium may not be my specialty but I can at least try to get a general read and location on the spirit." Handing Kenshin her cell so it wouldn't get in the way, she walked to the center of the room and seated herself on the floor. Mai then closed her eyes and focused on relaxing her body to open her senses to the world around her. Like she told Kenshin, her abilities as a medium were not her main power and she's only ever learned enough about them to not have the spirits assaulting her constantly. She never found any resources that could help her develop them further and normally relied on her instincts, astral projection, and post-cognition to solve the cases she consulted on. That didn't mean that the medium aspects of her powers were useless, just untrained.

Evening out her breathing pattern, Mai could slowly feel her awareness of her current surroundings fade into a different kind of awareness. She would describe it as a kind of in-between of the real world and the astral plane.

After reaching a certain point, Mai focused her senses on trying to find out if there was a spirit on the property and, if so, whether it was dangerous.

Kenshin settled against a corner of the room opposite the door, keeping an eye on the entire space in case something happened where he'd need to grab Mai and exit quickly. He'd seen her do this multiple times and it was always best to stay silent and not disturb her while in her, as he called it, trance.

About fifteen minutes passed in silence before he noticed Mai's breathing start to pick up, indicating that she was exiting the trance. Caramel colored eyes slowly opened and blinked a few times until they focused and settled on the detective. "Find anything?"

Stretching her arms above her head, Mai pushed her self off the ground and slowly walked over to him. "There's definitely something here but it feels...odd."

Raising an eyebrow at the statement, Kenshin handed her back her cellphone. "How so?"

Taking the device from him, Mai tucked it back into her back pocket while her eyebrows furrowed in thought. "It's like...I don't know. It seems innocent but, at the same time, twisted somehow. Broken even. I didn't feel outright maliciousness but there was definitely a strong sense of anger."

"Since you didn't mention it, I'm assuming you couldn't get a location on the spirit." He stated while they began making their way back to their rooms.

"No." She mumbled with an angry pout.

Smirking at the reaction, Kenshin lifted his right hand and ruffled her brown locks, much to the young woman's protest. "Don't worry about it. We were able to confirm the Chief's suspicions so now we know what direction to take the investigation. You did a good job." He finished with a smile directed at her.

Blushing slightly at the praise, Mai turned her slightly burning face away from the still smiling man, grumbling out a small but happy, "Whatever."

Shaking his head at her actions with a fond tilt of his lips, they silently continued their walk back to their rooms. Mai, at some point, began humming a soft tune to keep herself occupied during the journey back. Once they had reached their destination, both agreed to go unpack and get settled before going grab some food.

Kenshin was a few minutes into unloading his things in his room when he heard a loud thud emanate from the room next door. Mai's room.

"Mai?" He called through the thin walls. "Everything okay?"

Kenshin was rather aware of Mai's uncanny ability to randomly klutz-out at odd moments which is why he didn't panic at the noise but, the longer his query went without an answer, the more worried he became.

"Mai?"

Still not hearing a response, Kenshin swiped the extra room key he had for Mai's room and quickly made his way out of his own and to the entrance of hers. Inserting the key into the card reader, Kenshin waited until the light turned green then cautiously pushed the door open with his left hand while his right hovered near his gun.

"Mai? If you're still in here you need to let me know now."

The silence that greeted him unnerved the detective. Having now fully entered the room while leaving the front door open for a quick escape if necessary, he surveyed the space. The bathroom door was open and the room itself was empty. Mai's luggage was open and partially unpacked with some clothes already in the available drawers. What really began setting off warning bells in his head were the clothes that were haphazardly dropped on the floor near the bed.

Investigating further, he found the bedside lamp had been knocked onto the ground, which most likely caused the noise he heard earlier, and right next to it, sitting innocently on the carpeted floor, was a single leather glove.

Thinking quickly, he snagged one of the shirts from Mai's luggage then used it to pick up the discarded glove before wrapping the shirt around it and shoving it into his pants pocket. Once that was done, he sprinted out of the room, closing the door behind him, and made his way towards the front desk. Along the way, he pulled out his phone and dialed the number for the local police station all the while weaving through the corridors and people as he waited for someone to answer.

"911 what's your emergency?"

"This is Detective Noboru of the Tokyo PD, badge number 3795," he answered with a slightly rushed voice, "I need an APB out for one Mai Taniyama. She recently went missing at the Mizushima Resort. I need uniforms to help sweep the area as well."

"One moment detective."

Waiting for the response from the operator, Keshin took the stairs two at a time until he finally reached the ground floor and walked into the main lobby.

"Detective Noboru? Your request has been accepted and uniforms are on their way. They should arrive within ten minutes."

"Thank you." Ending the phone call, Kenshin strode up to the front desk. Seeing his hurried pace and recognizing him from earlier, the receptionist told the next customer in line to wait for a moment while Kenshin finally managed to reach her. "Detective, is there something I can help you with?"

"Another person has gone missing." He answered in a low tone so as not to be overheard by the guests around them. The woman let out a soft gasp as her eyes widened in fear at the news. Ignoring her reaction, Kenshin continued with what he needed to say. "First I need you to call your boss and let him know what's going on. Do you have an intercom hooked up throughout the building?"

Seeing her nod yes he continued. "Then I need you to make an announcement. Call for a Mai Taniyama to come to the front desk. If she shows up, let me or one of the officers know immediately, understood?"

"Yes, of course." Was her soft reply as she tried to get a hold of her panic.

Nodding his head in thanks, the detective left the front desk.

Exiting the building to find a more isolated area, Kenshin made his way over to the parking lot. Pulling out his cell once again, the detective hit the number 3 on his speed dial and held the device to his ear. He impatiently listened to the ringing on the other end until the person finally answered. _"Yamauchi speaking."_

"Chief."

_"Detective Noboru? What happened."_

Kenshin sighed at the Chief picking up on the tightness in his voice. "It's Mai, sir. She's gone missing and I think it was whatever has been taking the people around here."

The detective heard the muffled curse that the Chief let slip at the information, waiting patiently for him to continue. _"I'm assuming by your wording that you were able to confirm that it's not a human causing this."_

"Yes, sir." He replied with a nod of his head even though he knew the man on the other end of the line couldn't see it.

_"Right, you've already alerted the local station to her disappearance?"_

"Yes." He responded while leaning his tense body against the borrowed squad car. "We've got an APB out on her and the available officers are on their way over to start a sweep of the area."

_"How much were you able to find out about the entity haunting the place?"_

"Unfortunately, not much," Kenshin said while letting out a sigh and running a hand through his dark hair, "just that there is something here. We need a professional sir."

_"Alright,"_ the Chief's voice was strained at the lack of information but he seemed to be keeping his emotions in check for the most part, _"Keep searching until backup arrives. I'm assuming you know how to contact them?"_

"Added their number to my contacts right before we came here." The detective said as a way of confirmation.

_"Good. Let me know once they arrive and keep me posted on everything that happens."_

"Yes, sir."

_"Bring our girl back Kenshin."_ With that, the line went dead and the detective lowered the phone. As soon as his screen cleared from the previous call, he began scrolling through his contacts until he found the correct number. Taking a calming breath, Kenshin let his gray eyes linger on the number for a few seconds before pressing the call button with his thumb and bringing the phone to his ear.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Lin and Naru were getting ready to leave and close the office for the night when the phone on Yasu's desk started ringing. Naru seemed to contemplate whether it would be worth answering before he let out a small huff of air towards the delay to their departure and picked up the offending device.

"This is Shibuya Psychic Research."

Lin stood by the door pulling on his coat waiting for Naru so they could head out.

"Speaking. Who is this?"

Lin fought back the urge to sigh at his boss's lack of manners. There was a reason that Yasu usually answered the calls. The tall Chinese man leaned against the doorframe, hands in his pockets, as Naru listened to the caller and watched as Naru's face went from annoyed to curious. It was when he saw his eyes slightly widen in alarm that Lin grew tense.

"How long ago did this happen?" Was Naru's sharp question to the person on the other end of the line. The young boss was giving his full undivided attention to whoever had called him and Lin cautiously watched the young man's reactions to what was being told to him. Very few things could cause Naru to react in such a way and none that the Chinese man could think of were very pleasant.

For the most part, Naru hadn't moved an inch from the position he'd been standing in since the call started so when he suddenly started rifling through the desk drawers looking for something Lin knew that whatever he was being told wasn't good.

The dark-haired man quickly procured a pen and notepad before responding to the caller. "Tell me the location."

Lin watched as Naru swiftly jotted down the address being told to him before informing the person on the other end that they'd be there as soon as possible before hanging up. Ripping the piece of paper from the notepad, Naru didn't give Lin the chance to speak before he started handing out orders. "Lin, I need you to start packing all our equipment into the van as fast as possible. I'll come help after I've called and notified everyone that they need to gather their supplies and come to the office."

The Chinese man decided now probably wasn't the best time to start asking questions so he gave Naru a quick nod before he began doing as asked. While he made his way into the storage room and started gathering their equipment, Lin heard Naru pick up the office phone and dial one of their co-worker's numbers.

"Takigawa, it's me."

Even if it was a little muffled, Lin could still hear Naru as he spoke with the monk about the new case.

"Is everyone there with you? Good, I need all of you to come to the office. We just received a case and we need to leave for it as soon as possible."

By this point, Lin had grabbed as much as he could safely carry and was making his way towards the office door. It was as he was striding through the lounge area that he finally heard the reason that they were leaving so abruptly.

_"Monk,_ Mai's gone missing."

___________________________________________________________________________________

**And it has begun!** **New case, new ghost!**

**I'm trying out a different approach when writing this case so I hope that everything comes out okay and things happen the way I'm hoping they will. There will be a bit more foreshadowing as well so keep a lookout!**

**shayrulz**


	10. Gathering the Troops

**Edited: 4/29/20**

  
**Chapter 10: Gathering the Troops**

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When the SPR team arrived at the Mizushima Resort, the property was deceptively calm. Other than the few squad cars scattered around the building, everything seemed almost idyllic.

A great contrast to the team's mounting tension.

Luckily everyone had been out together when the call had come in. Once they heard Naru's reason for the rushed departure, plans were canceled, bags were packed, and they were on the road within an hour.

___________________________________________________________________________________

All of the regulars of the paranormal investigation company, minus a certain black-clad duo, were relaxing and having a good time at the local Teppanyaki restaurant when Takigawa's phone began ringing.

Not having looked at the caller ID, the monk answered his phone with an amused "Hello?", trying to hold back his laughter at a story Yasu was sharing with the table.

_"Takigawa, it's me."_

"Ah, hey Naru! You finally change your mind and decide to come join us?" Was his teasing remark.

At the mention of their anti-social boss, the rest of the gang at the table turned towards the monk, curious. It was an odd time for their boss to be calling anyone. They knew the office closed at 8 pm and it was at least an hour past that time. Naru should have either left or been in the process of leaving by now.

_"Is everyone there with you?"_

Furrowing his eyebrows a little at the question, Takigawa let some of his own curiosity seep into his answer. "Yeah, we're all here. What's up?"

_"Good, I need all of you to come to the office. We just received a case and we need to leave for it as soon as possible."_

Takigawa's disgruntled surprise must have shown on his face since everyone at the table seemed to lean in closer, all wanting to know what they were talking about. "Wha- you mean _now?_ This is pretty last minute, man! You know we need to make sure our schedules are clear before we can just up and leave!"

At the mention of their schedules, everyone could now guess that Naru wanted them for a case that he had most likely just picked up, and from the sound of it he wanted them now. The thing is though, Naru was aware that most of the team had other jobs that they worked and only came to help with investigations when they were needed and available. The fact that he was disregarding this didn't bode well for their case.

_"_ _ **Monk,**_ _"_ The stressing of his nickname, filled with an urgency rarely heard from Naru, quickly silenced any complaints or questions that Takigawa might have continued spewing. It was the last words of the sentence, though, that did him in.

_"Mai's gone missing."_

"...what?"

The quiet, horse reply from the monk, along with growing panic on his features, turned any curiosity that the group had strait into alarm. No one dared ask yet what had caused the reaction since it seemed that Takigawa was still trying to process what he'd been told.

"W-what do you mean she's _missing?_ What happened?!"

_"I don't have all the details. Her partner called and requested our help, now are you coming or not?"_

Pushing down his growing panic, the monk steeled himself before answering in a firm tone. "We'll be there in twenty minutes." Ending the call, he swiftly flagged down their waiter and asked for the check, ignoring the worried and confused looks from group around him. Before they could ask anything, the waiter arrived and the monk practically threw his credit card at the man, telling him to put the bill on his card and that they won't be eating their ordered entrees.

Ever the brave one, Ayako was the first to break the silence. "Houshou! What is going on?!"

Turning back to his concerned coworkers, Takigawa tried to keep his expression as calm as possible while he relayed what he'd been told. "Mai's partner, the cop, called," he could already see the looks of realization grow on their faces before he even finished the sentence, "and Mai's gone missing."

The confirmation hung in the air for a split second until questions where coming left and right at the now overwhelmed monk.

"Guys, GUYS!" At his outburst, the table quieted down allowing him to speak. "Look, I don't know any more than that. Naru said her partner didn't elaborate so we'll probably be filled in once we arrive at the location." Before any further questions could be asked, their waiter returned with the receipt. Practically snatching the small paper and his card from the man, Takigawa thanked him and ushered everyone out of the restaurant.

Once outside, the group huddled on the sidewalk to discuss the current situation.

"So we know this is last minute, but who can actually drop everything and head out tonight?" questioned Takigawa.

"I'll be fine missing class so I'm good." Replied Yasu in a serious tone.

"There's nothing pressing happening at the church so I'm available as well." Responded John, worry evident in his tone.

Biting her thumbnail, Ayako looked at the rest of them before answering. "Unfortunately, I'm scheduled to work at the hospital tomorrow but I can see if someone would be willing to switch shifts with me."

Nodding his acknowledgment, Takigawa turned to face Masako while the priestess went to call her coworkers. "What about you, Masako?"

Mouth covered by her kimono sleeve, the young medium's brows were furrowed in concentration and a hint of worry. "I'll need to speak with my manager but I should be able to. I'll know for sure in a few minutes." With that, she pulled her phone out of her sleeve and walked a fair distance from the group to contact said manager.

"If Mai's cop friend is calling us in then that means that her disappearance was of the paranormal variety, otherwise we wouldn't have heard about this until she was officially declared missing." Yasu speculated.

The statement caused all of them to flinch slightly, even though they knew it was true.

"What I don't get," remarked John, "is why the police were investigating a haunting in the first place."

Takigawa and Yasu both furrowed their brows in thought at the statement. "We know that the police are aware of the paranormal, especially with Mai being a consultant, but exorcism isn't their specialty." The monk contemplated.

"What if they didn't know?" Asked Yasu while looking between the two men. "They could've been investigating some reports they received but along the way found out it wasn't humans that were causing the disturbances."

John nodded in agreement with the theory. "That seems to be the most likely situation."

"And it's just Mai's luck that she would end up in a place like that." Sighed Takigawa.

Any further conversation was halted as Ayako, closely followed by Masako, made their way back over to the group. Bother girls announced they were able to join them.

"Alright," stated Takigawa in a serious tone, "lets head home, grab what we need, and be quick. I'll see you all at the office."

___________________________________________________________________________________

Exiting their vehicles, the group made quick work of the distance between them and the resort's entrance. Upon entering, Naru easily located the concierge desk and made a b-line for it.

"Hello, welcome to Mizushima Resort! How can I help you today?"

Looking at the young woman behind the desk, Naru, as well as the rest of the team, could see the stress lining her face even with her attempt to cover it up. Ignoring the usual pleasantries, Naru got straight to the point. "My team and I are here to see Detective Noboru."

Widening her eyes in recognition, the woman began reaching for the phone on her desk. "Oh, yes, he mentioned you'd be coming! Just one moment please." She swiftly punched in a series of numbers before announcing over the intercom for the detective to come to the front desk. Placing the phone back onto the receiver, she gestured towards an empty corner of the main lobby. "If you and your team could just wait off to the side, I'm sure he'll be here shortly."

Nodding his acknowledgment, Naru led the rest of the gang over to the indicated area of the lobby where they waited in tense silence for the detective to show up. Masako stood with a slight frown creasing her brows as she looked around the building they'd be investigating. Picking up on the expression, John opened his mouth to question her about it when a familiar voice called out to them.

"Mr. Shibuya!"

Everyone turned to see the slightly disheveled detective walking towards them. "Thank you for coming on such short notice, please follow me."

Not allowing any time for questions, Kenshin turned on his heels and lead the group to the room that the officers were using as their base of operations. Once inside what looked to be a fairly large conference room, they were greeted by an unknown man in a blue button-down and gray slacks with thinning black hair and dark brown eyes. He was sitting at the table in the middle of the room but quickly rose once he saw them enter. To the team, he looked like a nervous wreck. Hunched shoulders, fidgeting hands, and a worried expression.

"Is this them?" He asked with a spark of hope flashing in his dark gaze.

Giving a firm nod, Kenshin began the introductions. "Yes, this is SPR, they investigate strange phenomena and have an impressive success rate." Most of the members of the team gave small, respectful bows towards the unknown man while Naru and Lin only dipped their heads in greeting. "Everyone," here Kenshin directed his words towards the group of investigators, "this is Takara Mizushima, the owner of this resort."

Mr. Mizushima returned the group's gesture after he had been introduced then turned back to the young detective. "Uh, Detective Noboru, it would probably be, ah, best that you be the one to inform them of our problems. I don't think I'll be very, um, helpful at this point." Most of the team members felt bad at how shaken up and overwhelmed the owner seemed so they didn't fault the man for requesting the more level-headed Kenshin to brief them on the case.

"Of course, sir, it would be no trouble at all. Why don't you go back to help out your staff? Having you around and lending a hand will be reassuring for them." The detective suggested in a soothing voice with a kind smile.

"Yes, of course." The man nodded gratefully.

"Mr. Mizushima," called out Naru before the man could leave, "I'd like to interview you later to receive your account of the events that happened here if that's alright with you."

"Ah, yes, yes that's perfectly fine. I'll be available so whenever you want to do the interview just let me know. I can, uh, help set up the interviews with my staff as well if you'd like." He offered with a hesitant smile.

"That would be appreciated." Naru agreed with a nod before the resort owner exited the room.

Turning back to the gathered investigators, Kenshin gestured towards the chairs scattered around the table. "Take a seat and I'll fill you in on what's been happening."

Once everyone was seated, making a semicircle with Kenshin at the head of the table, next to an empty whiteboard, he began. "First, I'd like to apologize for not being able to allow you access to any of our case files until you had arrived. Since you aren't officially associated with the police nor taking on a job specifically requested by us we weren't at liberty to share any further information until now."

The team nodded their heads in acceptance at the explanation. One of them had asked on the way here why they weren't provided any further information by the detective and Naru explained that the police weren't the ones hiring them but instead the resort owner himself.

"Onto the reason you're all here..." This had everyone in the room tensing up, whether it was noticeable or not. "Earlier tonight, around 7:45 pm, Mai Taniyama went missing from her room at this resort." They could all see the slight clenching of Kenshin's jaw after he said those words before he relaxed again and continued. "I was in the room next door when I heard a loud thud. After calling out and getting no response from her, I went to make sure she was alright. Searching her room, the only disturbances I could find were a pile of dropped clothes, a fallen lamp, and this." Here, he held up a paper bag and, with a now latex-gloved hand, took out the leather glove that he had found. "This was one of the gloves that she was wearing at the time and the matching one was not found so we can only assume it's still with her."

The paranormal research team, on their previous case that included Mai, had noticed the young girl never went anywhere without her gloves on. None of them knew exactly why, though a couple did have a theory, and they never got the chance to ask her about it. They could all see the stronger than necessary grip Kenshin had on the glove and a pang of sympathy went through most of them. It wasn't uncommon for people to go missing during hauntings, especially those happening in large buildings, so they could understand what the detective was experiencing. After all, this wasn't the first time a team member had gone missing.

Kenshin allowed a short lull in the conversation so they could absorb the information before he continued. "No one has reported seeing Mai leaving or entering any of the buildings and no evidence was left behind by who, or _what_ may have taken her. How much do you know about this property?"

Yasu was the first to answer his question. "According to the research I was able to do on the way here, this area of Hinohara is infamous for its yearly disappearances. No pattern as far as gender or appearance has been linked to them and no one's certain as to how long they've been going on. The only consistent thing about these cases, other than the day they vanish, is that it's always adults that go missing, never children or teens. Well," the college student trailed off, "until now that is."

The members of SPR were paying rapt attention to both men at this point since most of them had yet to hear anything about the property they would be investigating.

"In order for me to share any further information with you about this case," Kenshin stated while picking up a stack of papers and handing them out to the SPR members, "I'll need each of you to sign a confidentiality agreement for the Tokyo Police Department. Nothing we discuss that is still confidential can be shared or released to the public without prior consent from the Chief of our department."

They each grabbed one of the pens he was handing out before skimming through the agreement and signing before handing them back to the detective. It was practically the same agreement they had to sign during the case at the Atsuko Factory so they weren't too worried.

Taking the papers and placing them in a black binder that was sitting on the table in front of him, Kenshin turned back to the investigators and flipped around the whiteboard behind him. "These are all the victims that we're aware of so far."

Many of the SPR members, such as Masako, Takigawa, Ayako, and John, gave the board wide-eyed expressions of disbelief with a hint of alarm. The rest either remained outwardly unaffected or narrowed their eyes at the sheer number of victims.

"Th-that's over twenty _years'_ worth of disappearances!" Exclaimed Ayako.

"I assume you believe there could be more that you are unaware of?" Naru questioned while directing his sharp gaze at the detective.

Unwavering gray eyes met cobalt blue before answering. "We suspect, but their oldest records were paper and were destroyed in a fire over a decade ago." Picking up a thick manila folder sitting on the table, Kenshin slid it over to the black-clad boss. "This is a record of everything that our officers and detectives found and did over the years."

Naru accepted the folder then placed it on the table in front of him before bringing his attention back to the detective. "You and Mai were sent here for a specific reason." He stated while pulling out his own black binder and signaling Lin to get his laptop ready.

Kenshin leaned back against the wall behind him and the whiteboard with a soft sigh, crossing his arms. "That's right. Initially, the main theory for this case was a serial killer but, after a while, the Chief began suspecting something not-human may be at work. We were sent here to confirm or deny this theory."

"And your verdict?" Naru asked, pausing his writing while Lin continued to type away in the background. He could already guess, considering the detective had called them in, but it always paid to be sure.

"There's something here. Mai was able to confirm that much."

"Anything else she was able to discern?"

"She couldn't pinpoint its location," the detective stated while he closed his eyes, trying to remember what Mai had said, "but she was able to get some emotions from the spirit."

Resuming his note-taking, Naru pushed further. "Tell me."

Opening his eyes again to give the rather blunt young man an unamused look, Kenshin did as asked. "She said that it felt odd...kind of described it as contradictory too. Innocent but twisted in some way. She didn't sense any malicious intent but said there was a lot of anger."

"Ms. Hara?" Naru asked while turning his head towards the medium.

Already knowing what he was asking, Masako lifted her kimono sleeve to cover her mouth and met his gaze. "From what I've been able to sense since we entered, I'd have to agree with Mai's assessment. The anger is the most prominent emotion compared to the others but I can see why she'd described it as odd. There is a sense of innocence to this spirit but I can feel something dark about it as well." During her recollection, the medium's gaze had drifted a bit but she quickly regained focus once more to look back at Naru. "Once I do a walkthrough of the property I should be able to give you more to go off of."

Nodding his assent, the leader of the investigators went back to interviewing Kenshin. "Detective Noboru, I need you to describe the events that happened before Mai's disappearance."

"Of course," he began, "We had been walking the property and interviewing the staff and customers for a couple of hours but it hadn't turned up anything new so we decided to find a quiet room for Mai to try and get a feel of the place. This is when she picked up on the conflicting emotions." Crossing his arms, Kenshin continued. "We were there probably fifteen minutes before we left and headed straight back to our rooms. You know what happened from there."

"She didn't seem to be acting strange? Nothing out of the ordinary?"

"Not at all. She was perfectly normal, well," they watched as an amused smirk grew on the solemn detective's face, "normal by Mai's standards at least." Despite the tense atmosphere, the statement cracked a smile on most of the team's faces as well.

Never let it be said that Mai was boring.

Snapping his binder shut, Naru rose from his seat and turned to face his team. "Takigawa, John, and Yasu, starting bringing in the equipment and setting up the base."

The trio each gave a form of acknowledgment.

"Ms. Hara, Ms. Matsuzaki, I need you to do a walkthrough of the property to see what you can find." Grabbing a small sheet of paper from the manila folder, he handed it over to Ayako. "Here is a list of known hotspots as well as the rooms that Mai last visited."

They both nodded and quickly glanced over the paper in the priestess's hands.

Placing his binder, along with the file given to him by the detective, down on the table, Naru gave his employees a stern look. "This spirit has broken its pattern. Never has someone as young as Mai went missing and never this early. She's already been missing for about two hours and we have until the seventh of this month, two days from now, to finish this case. I will not tolerate any goofing around or slacking off." His last words were directed at the normal offenders but, instead of their usual sheepish replies, they each gave a serious nod of acknowledgment. The entire group, including Kenshin, held expressions of determination.

"We're on a deadline here, none of the victims that have previously gone missing were ever found," pushing his chair back and standing up, Naru's eyes glinted with conviction, "let's make sure this pattern doesn't continue to hold true."

___________________________________________________________________________________

Once the briefing was over, everyone quickly went to complete the tasks assigned to them. The base was set up in record time by the boys and, once done, John and Takigawa went off on their own walkthrough of the property, setting up the cameras and microphones along the way, while Yasu ventured out to the local library to search through their archives for anything that may have been missed or overlooked.

Once the SPR regulars had left, Naru got ahold of their client, Mr. Mizushima, and began the process of interviewing the staff. Due to the time limit set for this case, it was decided that Lin would help research the property from the base instead of helping with the interviews like he normally would. Divide and conquer.

Kenshin was the lead officer working this case so he was in charge of organizing and directing the other police officers that were involved. The group had yet to run into the other cops but the gray-eyed detective had warned them about the skepticism they would likely encounter. This wasn't anything new for the members of SPR but it could potentially cause problems later on.

It was another couple hours later when the ghost hunters, minus Yasu, all gathered once more in their base. There was another cop, speaking with Kenshin on the other side of the room when they showed up but he just gave them a suspicious look before turning back to the detective and continuing their conversation.

John and Takigawa had been the first to arrive and came in towards the end of an interview Naru was conducting with a female staff member. They quietly slid into a couple of the seats around the table, far enough away from their boss and the woman to give a sense of privacy, and waited until Naru dismissed her before speaking. By this point, Ayako and Masako had also shown up and were seated next to them.

Meanwhile, over with the law enforcement officials, the local cop, a middle-aged man with gray peppered throughout his dark brown hair, let a huff of irritation pass his lips.

"Detective Noboru, why exactly are we even allowing these people to work with us? Let alone sharing a room and information with them?" The man questioned Kenshin at a low volume while watching SPR out of the corner of his eye. His arms were crossed and his posture, stiff as a board, screamed his displeasure.

Kenshin, already expecting this, answered without pause. "Unfortunately, the resort's owner is the one that hired them so we can't tell them to leave. As for sharing a room," here, he gave the uniformed man a small upward quirk of the lips, "it's better to have them near so we can keep an eye on them, no? Any information they receive or find out we'll also know."

"Keep your enemies close, and your, ah, co-workers closer?" The cop asked in a joking tone, lips twitching upward and shoulder muscles releasing some of their tension.

"Exactly," the young detective replied with a smirk, "plus, you can't deny the convenience of extra cameras."

"Ha, very true!" The man agreed, still keeping his voice relatively low and relaxing completely from his previously stiff posture. "Well, I'm going to head back to the station. I'll call if they have anything new. If you have any trouble with the... _ghostbusters_ , just let me know."

"Thanks, I'll keep it in mind." Kenshin acknowledged with a smile and a wave of his hand. The smile soon dropped from his face once the man was out of sight and he silently made his way over to the quietly chatting SPR members.

"So, what did the cop want? They find anything?" Takigawa inquired, tilting his head back and towards the detective from his seat at the conference table.

Kenshin just waved off the question while walking towards the wall near the whiteboard, then leaning back against it with his arms crossed. "Unfortunately no, it wasn't anything important, just boring procedural stuff."

Naru kept his eyes on the detective a little longer than strictly necessary but refrained from commenting. Instead, he addressed the two females among them. "Ms. Hara, Ms. Matsuzaki, what did you find?"

Both women glanced at each other before Masako began speaking. "The emotions I mentioned before were still present but they were strongest around the recreational area. I was unable to get a glimpse of the spirit so I still can't tell you anything about its appearance. Although…" here, the young medium's eyes narrowed in contemplation, "based on the feelings I'm receiving the anger seems to stem from a sense of betrayal and loneliness. The innocence I can sense makes me believe that we're either dealing with a younger spirit or one that is mentally young."

During these reports, Lin could be heard in the background typing away on his laptop and most likely recording everything that was being said. Naru had his binder open on the table and was taking his own notes of certain things while listening intently to what his employees had to say.

"What about you Ms. Matsuzaki?" The blue-eyed man asked the redhead.

The priestess slumped down a little in her chair, using the armrest to lean her head against her right hand. "I didn't sense any of what she just mentioned but the entire time we were walking the property I had this feeling that I was being watched. Kept looking over my shoulder but there was never anyone there."

Naru zeroed in on that and directed his question to the entire group. "Has anyone else felt they were being watched?"

Both Masako and John shook their heads in the negative but Takigawa was nodding his. "Yeah I did," he mentioned in a calm voice, "I could feel it the entire time I was with John." He added, pointing a thumb in the Australian priest's direction.

Looking between the two, Naru then set his sights on the still typing Chinese man. "Lin?"

Looking up from his computer screen, Lin met the gaze of his young employer. "I only noticed it briefly when it was just us in here but my shiki scared off whatever it was and I haven't felt it since." With that said, he went back to focusing on his computer screen.

Naru then drew his gaze over to the detective. Kenshin, already guessing what he was going to ask, shook his head. "Haven't felt anything, and Mai never mentioned it either."

Resting his elbows on the table and steepling his fingers in front of his face, Naru sat in thoughtful silence for a few moments before refocusing back on the group around him. Not moving his body's position, Naru turned his head towards the monk and priest. "Were you able to find anything while out?"

"Can't say we did, mate," John replied in a subdued tone. "We blessed all the rooms that Masako pointed out to us but it didn't feel like it did much."

"Yeah," Takigawa agreed, "it just felt like we were saying meaningless words to an empty room."

Turning back towards Kenshin, Naru silently hoped the man had something they could use. "Detective?"

"We've swept the entire building and town but there's been no sign of Mai. We even had a tip line established and announced it on the local news but nothing relevant has come in." He answered while taking the time to look over the gathered investigators. "We'll be setting up a search party tomorrow to look through the forest surrounding the resort in the hopes of finding some sign of her but considering the culprit I'm not positive it'll produce any results."

Leaning back in his seat, Naru took in the information then reached inside his binder and pulled out a small stack of papers. "According to what we were able to find so far, the resort itself is only eight years old, still relatively new. While there have been reports of injuries, they're normal for a wilderness resort that offers the types of activities that this one does. We didn't find any reports or rumors of possible deaths on the premises either."

Not looking up at anyone, he flipped to the next page of the packet and continued reciting the information. "Before eight years ago, this was just another portion of the forest that surrounded the town. Due to the lack of records, we were only able to go as far back as fifteen years before things became spotty and unreliable. However, during the interview with the owner, he mentioned that he once heard that a house had, at one point, stood on the property. He was unable to provide us with any more information and the staff only reported things they expected such as cold spots and disembodied noises. Not all the staff was working today so we'll be able to finish up the interviews tomorrow to see if the missing employees have anything else to add." He finished while placing the papers back into his black binder.

"So basically," Takigawa bit out in a frustrated voice, "we have nothing."

The whole group was feeling the stress of the situation. Granted, they'd only been there for a few hours, but the time limit placed on them and the constant reminder that Mai was god-knows-where wasn't helping at all.

"Damnit," Ayako cursed while biting down on her thumbnail and looking down, "Mai could be anywhere and in any condition!"

John turned slightly hopeful blue eyes towards his employer. "Naru, what about Yasu? When will he be back?"

The dark-haired young man brought his mind back from its contemplative state to answer the blonde priest. "The moment he finds anything useful he was told to call."

The unspoken message that their young researcher hadn't called and, therefore, hadn't found anything was understood by all. Yasu was a very intelligent boy with a knack for finding information quickly. The fact that he had yet to come up with _anything_ was as worrying as it was frustrating.

Kenshin stayed quiet for most of this meeting, only speaking when asked or needed. He always preferred to sit back and observe when it came to things like this and he could tell that Naru was generally of the same mindset. It was also a factor that, despite hearing about them over the years from Mai, he didn't know these people.

Sure, he could guess basic personality types and how they'd react to things but, while they used to be Mai's team, they weren't a part of his. He didn't completely trust them but was willing to follow their lead as long as it got Mai back. They were the experts here after all.

Most of the information they had gathered Kenshin had already provided to them in the folder he'd handed their boss. And, while he could respect wanting to double-check what you were given, in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but think that they were wasting precious time.

As a cop, when on an abduction case, the first twenty-four hours were the most crucial. He knew, logically, that they weren't dealing with a human here and that the same rules most likely wouldn't apply, but his logic tended to take a bit of a backseat when Mai was in danger.

Observing the gathered investigators, he could see the signs that their emotions starting to get to them as well. Some more obvious than others.

John, the priest, had his worry written across his face, even though he tried to hide it behind his calm voice and hopeful optimism.

The kimono-clad medium, who had been silent for the second half of the discussion, had a sleeve raised to cover the lower half of her face. If he had to guess, and based on the small wrinkle between her eyebrows, the detective would say that her lips were most likely downturned.

The priestess and monk were the easiest to read considering they were flat out stating their concern with the situation to the whole group. Even as their statements turned into arguing with each other, Kenshin had a pretty good feeling that it was their way of coping with things. Even if it left a slightly frazzled priest and a bunch of annoyed co-workers in their wake.

Lin, Kenshin grudgingly admitted to himself, was practically impossible to get anything from. The detective personally thought that even pointing a loaded gun in his face would only result in a bored expression from the man. He privately thought that the undercover department could use a few people like him.

Finally, he brought his attention to the last member of the team. The young CEO, Naru, was almost as stoic as the Chinese man.

Almost.

It was the small things that most people wouldn't notice that tipped him off. The slight narrowing of his eyes when the two pairs didn't have anything substantial to report. The grip he had on his binder that grew tighter with every expression of worry or speculation that passed through his team member's lips. Mostly, though, it was the young man's initial reaction when Kenshin had called him about the case that cemented it. His sharp questions and quick agreement to come help said more about his feeling towards this situation than Kenshin believed Naru would ever openly admit.

Kenshin had told Mai earlier that day that for any type of relationship to work, whether it be friendship or otherwise, it required effort from both sides. Knowing what he does about Mai and her past he could somewhat understand her reluctance in reforming her friendships with the SPR team.

Looking at the said group now, though, he could tell just how much the young high schooler meant to these people and knew that the sooner Mai got past her stubbornness and insecurities and opened up to them, the happier she'd be.

Mai needed to learn how to trust again.

He fervently hoped that she would have the opportunity to try.

___________________________________________________________________________________

The room was dark with only a minimal amount of moonlight from the window providing illumination. You could hear the occasional call of nocturnal animals that lived in the forest surrounding the resort but, for the most part, all was silent.

Piercing through the quiet was a rustling of sheets and low, unintelligible murmurs that steadily grew louder and louder.

"Mai!" Kenshin exclaimed while shooting up in bed and throwing the sheets off his torso.

His harsh breathing was reminiscent of his physical state in the dream and his heart was pounding a quick beat inside his chest as the adrenaline from the dream worked its way through his system. Black strands of hair clung to his forehead and his skin felt hot and clammy.

He had come back to his room only to grab a few hours of rest and to clear his head before getting back to the case. Looking over at the bedside table on his right, the detective saw the bright numbers of the digital clock shining back at him and cheerfully declaring it to be three in the morning. _  
_

Running a hand over his face and through his hair, Kenshin swung his legs over the edge of the bed, rising to his feet, then making his way to the attached bathroom.

Flicking on the light, he went straight to the sink and proceeded to splash his face with the cool water from the tap.

With the water still running, he straightened up from his hunched-over position and finally glanced at himself in the mirror.

Bags were beginning to form under his slightly bloodshot gray eyes and his overall appearance was unkempt and haggard-looking. They hadn't been able to find anything new before he'd left to get some rest and everyone had been exhausted and frustrated with the lack of progress.

But, that dream...

He had a feeling things were going to start picking up very soon.

___________________________________________________________________________________

**Finished! I know, not a lot (or any really) action in this chapter but I had to establish a few things before we could really get into the case.**

**But back to what I was saying... I love hearing from you guys and what your thoughts and feelings for the story are so far, so leave me a review! I try to answer all of them but, admittedly, I don't always get to. Just know that, even if I don't respond, I truly appreciate it and I always make it a point to read every last one of your reviews. Theories, suggestions, and constructive criticism are all welcome!**

**shayrulz**


	11. Lost and Found

**Edited: 6/9/2020**

**Chapter 11: Lost and Found**

**___________________________________________________________________________________**

Kenshin had only been in the base for a few minutes before a piercing shriek echoed through the previously quiet resort.

Naru and Lin were the only other people in the room at the time and they immediately dropped whatever they were doing and set their sights on the monitor screens, Kenshin soon joining them. A few seconds of skimming brought them to the feed that seemed to be the closest to the noise. Once they identified the area of the resort that it came from, Kenshin made a break for the door and sprinted out into the hallway. It didn't take long for both Naru and Lin to catch up with the detective and soon all three of them were barreling down the corridors.

Groggy and concerned guests littered the halls as they peeked outside their rooms to find out what had disturbed their sleep. Some were aware enough to shout questions at the trio but they were simply ignored as they sped past. Along with the guests, Naru, Lin, and Kenshin saw the resort's night staff also rushing around, trying to calm their agitated clients and usher them back into their rooms.

About five minutes and a flight of stairs later, the men followed the steadily growing sound of voices and finally rounded a corner where they were met with a crowd of people gathered around a door at the far end of the hallway. Multiple staff members, as well as one of the local law enforcement officers, could be seen trying to hold back the throng of guests from entering the door behind them.

The staff, having been informed about the investigators and briefly introduced to the detective, quickly tried to create a pathway so the three men could enter. Unfortunately, the gathered crowd wasn't feeling very cooperative and the staff's efforts fell on deaf ears.

The Kenshin, using as much authority as he could, whipped out his badge from inside his suit jacket and held it up for everyone to see. "Excuse me everyone!" he shouted so he'd be heard above the noise. "My name's Kenshin Noboru and I'm a detective with the Tokyo Police Department. I need everyone to clear this hallway. My associates and I will handle the situation but, in order to do so, we have to ask that you please leave and go back to your rooms."

Towards the middle of his announcement, everyone had calmed down and directed their attention to the tall, gray-eyed man. After he had finished speaking, a few grumbled protests were heard but everyone did as requested and shuffled back to their rooms.

"Thank you, we appreciate your cooperation," Kenshin said with a smile as the guests walked past him. Soon, only he, Lin, Naru, the local cop, and the staff members stood in front of the door.

Naru and Lin were silently thankful for the detective's quick crowd control. It wasn't always easy calming a crowd and the man made it look effortless.

"Officer," Kenshin began as he looked at the only uniformed man in the hallway, smile long gone and replaced with stern professionalism, "what's going on?"

"I'm not sure, sir." The man who looked to be in his thirties admitted. "The moment I arrived on the scene I had to help ward off the crowd so I haven't been in there yet."

Deeming the man as unimportant, Naru ignored anything else the local cop might have said and swiftly opened the door to the room before crossing the threshold, Lin only a few steps behind him.

Upon entering they were greeted with the sight of an abandoned housekeeping cart and a vacuum that looked to have been hastily dropped on the floor.

Making their way through the short hallway at the entrance and avoiding the cart they finally got their first glimpse of what had caused the disturbance.

Large, deep red letters were written on the wall above the headboard of the bed.

_Am I pretty?_

Naru walked closer to the writing, already having an idea as to what the message was written in. When he was approximately two feet away, the smell of iron hit his nose, making his eyes narrow while confirming his suspicions. Behind him, Lin had pulled out his phone and was taking pictures of the scene so they could keep a record of it and have it for reference later on.

It was at this point that Kenshin finally entered the room along with the missing SPR members who all looked a little rumpled and thrown together. Most likely, they had all heard the shriek and thrown on whatever they could find before rushing over.

Naru had turned his head to look at his team as they crowded into the small room. Strange messages on walls were nothing new for them so their minimal reactions were expected. What wasn't expected was Kenshin suddenly freezing in place, his now slightly widened eyes locked onto the message. It only lasted a moment before the detective schooled his features but Naru still caught it. As a member of the homicide department, Naru was positive that the man had seen far worse things than bloody writing.

The young boss made a mental note to ask the detective about it once they got back to base.

"Am I pretty?" came Ayako's questioning tone as she read aloud the message. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"Naru is that…" trailed off the young blonde priest.

"Blood?" Naru rhetorically asked while turning back towards the writing. "Yes, and it's fairly new too. Hardly any of it has had time to dry."

Knowing no one else was going to, Takigawa decided to ask what he knew everyone was thinking. "You don't think it's Mai's blood, do you?"

Taking a few steps back so he could see the whole thing without straining his eyes, Naru answered in his usual calm voice. "Honestly, it's impossible to tell. If it is, though, she has to have a fairly serious wound to produce this amount of blood."

Having stood silently at the back of the group until now, Kenshin brought their now worried gazes to rest on him. "I'll have a forensics team come in and sweep the room. They'll take a sample of the blood and will be able to tell us whether it's Mai's or not. Also, I've asked the staff to do a headcount of everyone that should be in the building, guests, and staff, to see if we can find out who screamed and whether they were taken or not."

"Once you get an answer from the staff I'd appreciate you sharing it with us," Naru stated, blue eyes locking with gray.

"Of course." With one last unreadable look at the message, the detective left the room. Presumably to call for the forensics team and speak with the staff and other cops.

Once Kenshin had vacated the room, the investigators turned back to the bloody writing.

"Why such an odd phrase?" Takigawa asked no one in particular. "Are we dealing with a female spirit?"

"It does sound like something a woman would say, and either a conceited or self-conscious one at that." Ayako, for once, agreed with the monk.

"Look at the handwriting." Instructed Naru. Doing as asked, the group of investigators focused fully on the words once more to see if they could find what Naru was trying to point out.

It was a minute or two before anyone spoke again. "I don't get it. I mean, it's not the neatest in the world but what do you expect?" The priestess answered with a frustrated huff.

It was John, however, that finally seemed to understand. "Childish." He breathed out with a hint of recognition.

Turning to look at the blonde priest, Naru gave the young man a nod of approval. "I'm not surprised you'd be the one to get it, considering your work with the orphanage."

"Wait, so, if I'm understanding this right," Takigawa began while waving his right hand in a gesture to stop, "then you're saying our spirit is a _little girl?"_

"It would certainly fit with the innocence that I'm sensing from the spirit." Masako contributed.

John, Ayako, and Takigawa all stood silently, processing the new information.

"I wouldn't jump to conclusions just yet, but it's a theory and the best lead we've had so far." Their young boss cautioned them.

Naru looked around the guest room a little longer but, seeing as there was nothing more they could learn there, the group left and headed back to their base.

Along the way, the hallways were much clearer except for the occasional staff member knocking on a door. The investigators assumed they were completing the headcount and left it at that, continuing their trek to their base. By the time they were all gathered once more around the conference table, it was almost 4 am.

The second day had begun.

Only one day left to find Mai and solve the case.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Later that morning, after the forensics team had come and swept the place and cleaned off the wall, Masako and Takigawa found themselves once more in the room where the bloody message had once resided.

Placing an electric recorder on top of one of the nightstands, Masako gingerly took a seat on the bed while the monk leaned back against the wall located near the foot of the bed.

Taking a calming breath to center herself, Masako turned the device on and began. "EVP session with Masako Hara and Houshou Takigawa in guestroom 213. Are there any spirits in here with us?"

Pausing to allow the recorder ample time to pick up on anything it could, the medium asked another question.

"Was it you that left us the message earlier?"

Again, silence.

"Are you the one that keeps taking people?"

A few seconds after asking this question, Masako's eyes snapped to a corner of the room and stayed locked there. Takigawa, having noticed the sudden change in the medium's demeanor, straightened up from his previously lax position. He couldn't see what the kimono-clad girl could, but he still scanned the room for any sign of something that could harm them.

Still staring at the corner, Masako's next question came out much softer than her previous ones. "Are you one of the victims of the disappearances?"

The room dropped in temperature a little, causing the monk to pull out his prayer beads and hold them at the ready. It was Masako lifting her left hand in his direction, still not looking at him, with a silent gesture to wait, that made him pause. Her gray eyes were slightly narrowed now. Whether in confusion, concentration, or unease the monk didn't know but he knew better than to interrupt whatever was happening.

"What's your name?"

A lamp near the corner that Masako was focusing on flickered a few times and the cold began to seep through their clothes. Takigawa continued to scan the room for any hint that things were going to become violent but, apart from the lamp, everything, for the most part, stayed the same.

The young medium allowed a longer period of silence to envelop the room before asking her next question. "Can you tell me how you died?"

This question caused the temperature to drop even further. It wasn't quite to the point where they could see their breath but both the monk and medium now had shivers running across their skin. The blonde monk's hand tightened around the prayer beads but he refrained from doing anything just yet.

However, as quickly as it came, the lamp stopped flickering and the room went back to its normal temperature. Masako's eyes had finally left the corner they had been glued to and scanned the room as if searching for something. Takigawa figured, with the return of the heat to the room and sudden lack of activity, that the spirit had left.

They waited a couple more minutes, asking a few generic questions until they deemed that they wouldn't be getting anything else.

"End EVP session," Takigawa said into the recorder then turning it off. He turned back to face Masako who was quietly rising from her place on the bed and lifted the recorder in a way to draw her attention. "Let's hope we got something useful on here, yeah?"

___________________________________________________________________________________

Thanks to the efficiency of the staff, and the urgency of the situation, it took about twenty minutes for the headcount of the staff and guests to be completed. It was another five minutes till Kenshin, who had been out with the other cops helping the staff, stopped by with the name of the still missing maid.

Katsuko Iwasaki.

She was a 37-year-old woman who had been working at the resort since its opening eight years ago. Mr. Mizushima provided them with a photo of the woman in the hopes that they could find her using their recorded footage from the time of the incident. They all knew that she fit the age range of the other victims but they still had hope. It was one day too early for someone to go missing based on the pattern of the last twenty years or so. Although considering the fact that Mai's sudden disappearance broke this established pattern, they couldn't confidently say that she _hadn't_ been taken. It was a small hope, but they clung to it as they continued their search.

It would be another ten minutes until their efforts were rewarded. After sifting through the footage, initially finding out that she had indeed fled the room, the silent duo at the monitors found the last camera that the maid showed up on before they lost sight of her. Picking up one of the radios near them, Naru informed the search party, which included John and Ayako, of the area they should look at.

It was only a little while later that the slight creak of the base door quickly attracted the attention of the room's remaining occupants. Masako and Takigawa had been sent away earlier to conduct an EVP session in the room that started this whole fiasco while Naru and Lin had stayed behind, coordinating the search and checking over the video footage. Yasu had yet to return to the resort since the team arrived as he had sequestered himself in the local library, every now and then receiving updates from Naru or Lin on the situation.

Shortly after the duo returned and were updated on the situation, another pair arrived at the door. Everyone glanced up to find their missing maid and another maid guiding her into the room. Lin swiftly grabbed the radio next to the monitors, calling off the search, while Naru rose from his chair next to the Chinese man and walked towards the two women.

"Mrs. Iwasaki, my name is Shibuya Kazuya, I own the company investigating the disappearances that are happening here. If you would take a seat," Here, he gestured towards the many empty chairs around the conference table, "I have a couple of questions that I'd like to ask you."

Hands clasped tightly in front of her, Mrs. Iwasaki gave a small nod, long black hair falling over her face, before following his instructions. Naru then motioned for the maid that brought in Mrs. Iwasaki to also take a seat.

Once everyone was settled around the table, including Lin and his ever-present laptop, Naru began the interview. "Just for the record, can you each tell me your names?"

"Katsuko Iwasaki."

"Anda Nakatoni."

The new maid's last name had both men briefly pausing for a fraction of a second, this going unnoticed by the women across from them.

"Mrs. Iwasaki, I need you to tell me what happened earlier in room 213," Naru stated while looking the woman in the eye, pen hovering over his notebook.

Gaze dropping to her clasped and fidgeting hands, Mrs. Iwasaki began her story. "I was just finishing up the last couple of rooms for the night shift when I reached the room. It was one of the last ones that I had to clean, one of our vacant rooms, but…at the time, I could have sworn I heard singing coming from inside."

Latching onto the last part of her statement, Naru interrupted her. "Were you able to make out what was being sung?"

Shaking her head, Mrs. Iwasaki lifted her eyes to meet Naru's for a brief moment before falling back to her hands. "It was too low to make out any words and I didn't recognize the tune either."

"Would you be able to hum the tune for us?"

Another shake of the head and a small, "…no, I'm sorry."

Letting out a small sigh at the meekness of the woman, and knowing he wouldn't get any more from that line of questioning, Naru told her to continue her story.

"Well, I had heard the singing so I knocked on the door and announced that I was from housekeeping, thinking that maybe it was booked but I hadn't been told. Immediately the singing stopped and it was just…quiet." Naru and Lin noticed her start to tense up at this point in the story and, apparently, so did the maid beside her. Anda Nakatoni placed a comforting hand on Mrs. Iwasaki's right arm, earning her a small smile from the tense woman.

After a few seconds, she continued. "After getting no response, I figured I'd either imagined it or it was coming from one of the neighboring rooms, so I unlocked the door and went in. It smelled a little odd at first but that wasn't anything unusual so I started by vacuuming the entryway and working my way inwards. It was once I got past the small hallway and looked up th-that I finally s-saw it."

During this portion of the story the rest of SPR's members, minus Yasu, began trickling back into the base but kept quiet and stuck to the walls of the room to give the frazzled woman some space. Kenshin also eventually showed up and joined the others.

Naru jotted down a couple of quick notes before focusing back onto Mrs. Iwasaki. "Did you see anyone in the room or entering or leaving the room?"

"N-no, it was empty except for all the b-blood…I couldn't help it I just, _panicked._ So I...I ran."

Anda Nakatoni tightened her grip on the distressed maid's arm before adding her own input to the story. "I found her curled up in one of the vacant rooms on the first floor before bringing her here."

Accepting that piece of information, Naru turned his attention back to the formerly missing maid. "Has anything strange happened to you before the incident today?"

The woman only shook her head in the negative.

"Thank you for your time, Mrs. Iwasaki. I would recommend you go and get some rest for now." The young boss stated while looking at her and turning a page in his notebook.

Nodding her agreement, she rose from her seat, gave a quick bow to the young boss and his assistant, then exited the room, Kenshin quickly following so he could get a statement from her for the police department.

"Ms. Nakatoni," the black-clad man began, blue eyes intently focused on the maid, "you wouldn't happen to be related to a Mr. Manabu Nakatoni, would you?"

The maid, who had been quiet for most of the interview so far, met his gaze with her own pair of light brown eyes. "Yes, he's was my brother."

A couple of the members standing around the room recognized the name their boss mentioned but remained silent.

"How long have you worked for the resort?" He asked.

"It's been about five and a half years now." She replied in a soft tone, eyes glazed over with grief.

"Your brother was the victim that disappeared from this resort six years ago. Why would you get a job at a place that took your brother from you?" Naru asked with narrowed and curious eyes while Lin's typing could be heard in the background.

A self-deprecating smile formed on her face. "You'll probably think it's silly, but I had hoped that getting a job here would help me catch the person responsible."

Not commenting on that, Naru moved the interview along while grabbing a stack of folders from one end of the table. "Do you remember anything from the day he disappeared?" Quickly sifting through the stack, he chose one and opened it. "According to the police report, you were the last person to speak with him."

The brown-eyed woman gave a small nod. "That's right. I was calling to see how his vacation was going."

Bringing his eyes back up from the report in front of him, Naru focused back onto the woman. "What do you remember from that conversation?"

The maid's eyes grew sad at the memory of the last time she spoke with her brother. "We were just talking about his day and his plans for the following day. We probably spoke for about twenty minutes until somebody on his side of the call interrupted us."

Naru glanced back down at the report for a second then brought his attention back to Ms. Nakatoni's story. "I remember the voice sounding younger, they were asking him for his help with something. I never got to ask him what they needed." She admitted in a regretful tone. "The last thing he said to me, was a kid needed his help before he hung up."

"Ms. Nakatoni," the young boss began cautiously, "Do you know why none of this was in the police report?"

The SPR members all grew confused at the question. Why had the police left that out? It seemed like pretty crucial information.

"I couldn't tell you, I was never able to get access to my brother's file so I was unaware that they omitted it." She explained in a confused voice.

Naru made a note of this in his folder. "You said that you had hoped to catch your brother's abductor while working here. Have you found any leads over the years?"

Here, Anda Nakatoni's body language grew nervous and she broke eye contact with Naru to gaze at her fidgeting hands. "Only stories and rumors."

"Do tell."

His flat expression and almost bored tone didn't quite escape the woman's notice. By the angry twitching of Ayako and the resigned looks of the others in the room, SPR's member hadn't missed it either.

"There's a story that the staff spread every now and then. They use it to scare new employees." The nervousness was still there but there was also a spark of determination. "They say that, around this time every year, sometimes you'll catch a disembodied voice singing in the hallways."

Still keeping his flat expression, but now much more interested in these supposed stories, Naru motioned for her to continue.

"This one's another rumor but, sometimes, someone from the staff will say they've seen younger guests wandering around the property at odd hours or in odd places."

"Has this never been reported?" Naru questioned.

"We have! But it was always written off as the guest's exploring, so we stopped saying anything about it." Ms. Nakatoni finished.

In Naru's, and a couple of the other members' minds, some of the pieces were _finally_ starting to come together. Sure, they still didn't have the full picture but now they had something to work with.

"Is there anything else you can think of, no matter how insignificant?" Naru was going to get everything he could out of this woman. So far, she'd been the only useful information source they'd come across.

The maid looked to be debating with herself internally. After a few times of opening and closing her mouth, she seemed to come to a decision. "This is just something I've noticed…but, it always seemed to me that the older residents of this town avoid this area as much as possible."

Well, isn't _that_ interesting.

A town with an annual kidnapping, vital records that had been lost in a fire, older residents with suspicious behavior, and a ghost that that only shows up a couple days a year.

Looks like Naru needed to have a chat or two with the town's elders.

"Do they completely avoid this property?" He inquired.

"Well, I mean it's not obvious or anything, but there always seems to be some kind of excuse to avoid this place or leave as soon as possible."

Pulling a blank sheet from his binder, Naru slid it over to the maid. "Would you be able to provide names?"

That spark of determination from earlier grew and she gave a firm nod, accepting the sheet and a pen.

Almost ten minutes later, Anda Nakatoni was sent on her way. Her parting gift of names and even locations held tightly in Naru's hands.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Naru was in the middle of setting up interviews with the residents on Anda Nakatoni's list when, out of the corner of his eye, Naru saw Lin move from his previously relaxed position at the monitors and begin fiddling with what the dark-haired man knew to be the volume controls.

His interest peaked, he continued to watch his assistant as the Chinese man brought a hand up to the left side of his headphones, a subconscious effort to hear better, with eyes narrowed in concentration and flickering between the monitors.

By the time Lin's eyes widened in surprise and he was calling the young boss over, Naru was already halfway across the room and headed in his direction.

A few of the room's occupants had noticed Naru's actions but for the most part, had dismissed them and gone back to their individual conversations. Lin's urgent call for their boss and subsequent statement quickly drew all their attention.

"It's _Mai."_

Those two words from the usually silent man were all that was needed for the formerly unconcerned SPR members to huddle around the monitors. It took them a moment, but they finally caught a glimpse of what their resident Onmyouji had seen. Walking away from one of their cameras with a slight skip in her step, was the back of the missing brunette.

"Monk. John. Second floor, third hallway, _now!"_

Without saying a word, and Takigawa catching the walkie-talkie that was practically thrown at him, the two men followed their boss's orders and sprinted out of the base. Naru, along with the rest of the team, watched the camera feeds with a laser focus, tracking the duo's journey and keeping an eye out to make sure they didn't lose sight of the oddly relaxed-looking Mai.

Naru also quickly contacted Kenshin and Mr. Mizushima, telling them to cordon off and, if possible, clear out the area where Mai was located.

The group grew tenser and tenser as the monk and priest got closer to their destination. Naru had been keeping them updated via his own radio and pointing them in the direction he saw Mai wandering. It was as they were rounding the last corner that Naru and Lin swore they saw Mai look back at the camera and smile before the monitors went black.

It was a scrambling of activity that followed. Naru was calmly calling the monk and priest over the radio in an effort to get in contact with them. Lin had swiftly risen from his seat and began checking over the equipment before running a diagnostic scan to see if he could bring the video feed back up. Ayako was pacing and cursing under her breath in the background, biting her thumbnail, while Masako hid her expression behind her kimono sleeve.

A few minutes later, a static crackle silenced the room.

" _Naru, we need Ayako and Masako. Mai's possessed but she's got a nasty cut on her thigh that's still bleeding. John's performing an exorcism on her."_

Both women, Ayako carrying her first aid kit, were already on their way out before Takigawa finished speaking. Naru, grip tight on the radio, looked at Lin who gave a small nod. Needing no further communication, the black-clad man rushed out the door to catch up with Ayako and Masako.

"Help's on the way," Lin spoke into the radio.

___________________________________________________________________________________

The three of them arrived to find Takigawa standing off to the side with his prayer beads out, Mai unconscious and slumped against the wall of the hallway with Takigawa's Vajra stabbed into the floor in front of her, and John standing over her, pocket bible and holy water in hand. Both glanced at the new arrivals before turning back to their unconscious friend.

"In the beginning was the word…"

No words were spoken as John began his exorcism, occasionally splashing the unconscious girl with holy water. Masako watched and monitored Mai's body to make sure that the spirit was expelled from her as well as to see if she could catch a glimpse of said spirit. Ayako stood next to the medium, white-knuckling the first aid kit, and staring intently at the sluggishly bleeding wound on Mai's left leg that had dyed her pants red. Naru split his attention between John and Mai, watching cautiously –as was Takigawa- to see how the spirit would react to the exorcism.

A twitch of Mai's fingers drew the group's attention before her eyes fluttered open and scanned the people before her. "John it's gone, you can stop the exorcism now."

The Australian priest hesitated at her words before Naru interrupted. "Father Brown, continue."

Knowing better than to question their boss, John resumed the exorcism. "The light shines in the darkness…"

"Really, John," Mai said as she slowly rose from the hallway floor, wincing slightly as she did, "you're just wasting your breath."

"Naru." Masako softly called out.

"I'm aware," Naru replied, his eyes narrowed at the struggling brunette before them.

Turning her attention away from the men, Mai fixed her sights on the redheaded priestess. "Ayako, please," she weakly begged in a pain-filled voice. "I need help."

Ayako was already tense from the whole situation as well as from mentally calculating the damage Mai's wound was causing the young woman. It was Takigawa's hand gripping her left shoulder that held her back from rushing over to the high schooler like she wanted to.

"-He himself was not the light; he came-"

In response to the silent treatment that she was receiving from the SPR members gathered around her, Mai's body stilled and her face lost the distraught and pain-filled look to it. The expression that replaced it was hollow and dark. It disturbed them to see such a thing on the young brunette.

"You're just like _everyone else_ , thinking there's something _wrong_ with me." The lights in the hallway began flickering as the dull voice and usually warm brown orbs were now piercing through each of them.

At this point, Takigawa had moved from his position next to Ayako to stand in front of her, Masako, and Naru. He had slipped his prayer beads around his right wrist and was now holding his hands in the Seal of the Immoveable One, ready to reinforce the barrier he placed around Mai.

"-He was in the world, and though the world was made through him-"

"Damn priest _SHUT UP!"_ Mai's sudden roar of rage caused the lights above them to blow out and shower the hallway's occupants in glass. Ayako and Masako cried out in shock while everyone but John, who refused to break his concentration, had ducked and tried to protect themselves from the falling shards.

"-I beseech thee, God-"

Mai pounded against the barrier, making Takigawa, who had quickly recovered from the shattering bulbs, sweat a little as he focused all his willpower into keeping it up.

"-Let thy face shine over us. In principo." John concluded with a snap of his bible and a final splash of holy water.

Mai lashed out one more time against the barrier, causing Takigawa to grunt in the background before she went rigid, eyes unseeing. Suddenly, the temperature of the hallway rapidly dropped and an earsplitting shriek echoed around them.

Not being able to hold it any longer, Takigawa fell to his knees while the barrier vanished and they were assaulted by a large gust of wind that rushed past and away from them.

"He's gone," Masako confirmed, earning a quick glance from Naru.

A low moan of pain brought everyone's attention back to the now swaying Mai.

"Wha…" Drowsy, brown eyes took in the people surrounding her in a haze of confusion. During an attempt to step towards them, Mai's injured leg gave out on her, sending her careening towards the glass-covered ground. They all lurched forward to help her but Naru was the one that succeeded in catching the high school senior and stopping her descent.

"Mai!" Ayako cried out as she immediately zeroed in on the girl's leg injury. "Monk, Naru. I'm going to need you to hold her still."

Takigawa rushed over and helped steady her legs, lifting the injured one into the air, while Masako and John looked on in worry. Naru, already holding Mai up by her torso, lowered her to a clear patch of floor and flicked his gaze to the young girl's face. Mai looked to be fighting unconsciousness, every time her eyes began drooping she'd force them back open. Naru knew that he needed to keep her awake if he could. They had no idea how much blood Mai had lost but Naru thought it best to prevent her from going into shock, just in case.

Already kneeling on the ground, Naru shifted so Mai was now almost sitting in his lap and leaning her right side against his chest. This freed up one of his arms that he used to turn the brunette's head in his direction. "Mai, I need you to look at me."

She complied, although slowly, and attempted to blink the fuzziness from her vision. "N…Naru?"

Encouraged to see that she seemed semi-coherent, Naru continued. "Mai your leg is injured. I need you to tell me if anything else is wrong."

He watched as her brows furrowed in thought, trying to process his question and answer it. Before she could, she let out a small pain-filled gasp causing her pale right hand to grip tightly onto Naru's shirt.

Looking up, Naru saw Ayako had already cut open the girl's jeans and begun disinfecting the wound which he quickly deduced as the cause. He then directed his attention back onto the now flinching brunette. "Mai, I need you to focus. Does anything else hurt?"

It took a few seconds but she finally seemed to pull herself together enough to respond. "My…my head. Really bad headache." Here, she paused once more, hand clenching in Naru's shirt, as Ayako dabbed at her leg wound again. "And I'm…really weak. No energy."

During this explanation, Naru had moved his hand from her face down to the jugular vein of her neck. Her pulse rate was less than 100 but nowhere in the range where she would need a transfusion. He let out a small sigh of relief at this.

Ayako, who had noticed his actions, looked at him questioningly and received a small nod of confirmation. Her shoulders lost some of their tension before she focused back on the wound. "It's a clean cut, a little deep, but it didn't hit anything major. I'm going to have to stitch this up."

Hearing the clear warning in her words, both Takigawa and Naru tightened their hold on Mai so she couldn't flinch away during the process.

"She seems fine but is experiencing a drain of energy that most possession victims receive, if on a slightly more extreme scale," Naru reported to the group.

"Ah, yeah that sounds…about right." Mai joked with a grimace on her face. "So..stitches?"

"You've got a three-inch laceration on your outer thigh," Ayako explained while prepping the needle and thread. "It's just deep enough that it needs stitches but you probably won't have them for too long."

"Great...love pointy things," Mai mumbled more to herself than as a response.

Naru raised an eyebrow at her words but chose not to reply. Instead, he turned towards the two observers that had stood over them for the last couple minutes. "Ms. Hara and John. I need you to head back to base and inform Lin of what's going on. We need to fill in Detective Noboru."

Both of them shot concerned glances at the lethargic high schooler before agreeing and heading back to the base.

"Oh, kinda…didn't notice they were…there…whoops." Mai commented as her eyes drooped once more. "Just…don't tell Masako."

Takigawa snorted at the offhand comment. "Trust me jou-chan, we won't."

Ayako, having numbed the area around the wound as best as she could, nodded at the two men holding Mai in a silent signal that she was going to begin.

Naru took this opportunity to question the slightly dazed girl. "Mai, what's the last thing you remember?"

Mai blinked a couple more times to try and clear her vision. "We…me and Kenshin were on our way back…to our rooms. I was-" A sharp hiss of air escaped her as Ayako dug the needle into her thigh, causing her to flinch but both Naru and Takigawa held her still. "I was getting settled in but then I could feel-" Another hiss of pain, "something in the room with me." She finished with more energy than before. The pain was helping to clear her head and make her speech more coherent.

Naru made sure his hold was firm on the girl leaning against him as she flinched once more. "Did you see what it was?"

"Yeah," she responded in a breathy manner, trying to ignore the sharp sting of the needle, "It was a kid. A boy."

Naru made a small acknowledging sound at the statement, trying to put pieces of what they already knew together. Takigawa and Ayako, on the other hand, froze for a moment until the Monk decided to speak up first. "The spirit's a little _boy?!"_

Sending both adults a glare, Naru silently demanded that they stop interrupting and get back to work. The duo shrunk a little under his gaze and quickly got back to the task at hand. Seeing that his employees were once again being productive, the young CEO turned back to Mai. "Do you remember anything from the possession?"

"No, it's all just-" Another hiss of pain, "-black. Sorry"

Opting out of responding, Naru only inclined his head in acknowledgment.

"Done!" The priestess softly exclaimed.

Naru and Takigawa felt Mai immediately relax at the statement. If she also mumbled a small, "Thank god…" under her breath, well, everyone seemed content to ignore it.

Now that she no longer had the pain of a needle to keep her awake, Mai's drowsiness came back full force. Naru quickly noticed the girl's drooping eyes but decided to let it go. As far as he could tell, there was nothing life-threatening about her exhaustion, no indicators of shock, so he saw no reason to fight against it.

"Thanks for…saving…me." Were the last words the young brunette said before her world went dark.

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**Another chapter completed!**

**Lots of little and big hints were dropped in this chapter and the case is really going to start coming together in the next one. Something to look forward too. :)  
**

**As always, thank you to everyone who followed and favorited my story. I love hearing from you all so reviews are always welcomed and encouraged!**

**Ta ta for now!**

**shayrulz**


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